| Alternative names | potage Germiny,crème Germiny,potage crème d'oseille |
|---|---|
| Type | Soup |
| Associatedcuisine | French |
| Main ingredients | Sorrel, cream |
| Ingredients generally used | Egg yolks, broth |
Cream of sorrel soup, also known aspotage Germiny,crème Germiny, orpotage crème d'oseille, is a traditional French springtimevegetable soup, often served cold.[1] It can be made with French sorrel (Rumex scutatus), common sorrel (Rumex acetosa),[2] or withforaged wild greens with similar flavor profiles, such as sheep sorrel(Rumex acetosella), wood sorrel(Oxalis corniculata,Oxalis albicans),sour grass,[3][4] or young leaves of dock (Rumex crispus,Rumex obtusifolius), etc.[5]
It is described as a classic French dish, and food writer Bonny Wolf states that "The French have probably had the longest, most ardent love affair with sorrel."[6]Craig Claiborne calledpotage Germiny "one of the absolute marvels of soupdom".[7][a]Mastering the Art of French Cooking includespotage crème d'oseille in a cluster of three similar recipes along withpotage crème de cresson (cream of watercress) andpotage crème des épinards (cream of spinach). The cookbook's authors state that cream of sorrel soup can be served hot or cold, and that cooks should "cut the leaves intochiffonade...do notpurée the soup".[8]
Ingredients in the recipe from the 1971Cent Merveilles de la cuisine française byRobert Courtine included sorrel, beef bouillon, heavy cream, egg yolks, cayenne, and white pepper.[1] A recipe forpotage Germiny published in the United States in 1977 listed sorrel, butter, whipping cream, egg yolks, chicken broth, red pepper sauce, and "freshly ground [black] pepper".[9] A recipe forvegan cream of sorrel soup uses potatoes andmiso as a texture and flavor base.[10] According to contemporary chefHank Shaw, "As you might expect from a vegetable whose chief attribute is tartness, this soup would be inedible without the cream and eggs to temper it. With them, however, it becomes a bright, smooth wake-up call from a long winter."[4] Older, larger leaves of sorrel (and associates) are more sour than younger, smaller leaves, thus other ingredient proportions may need to be adjusted accordingly.[11]
The namepotage Germiny is said to be a tribute to French banker and finance ministerCharles Le Bègue de Germiny.[6]