Cold asparagus cream soup

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• ¾ liter asparagus stock (e.g. frozen from the last asparagus season)
• ¼ liter sweet cream
• 60 g flour
• 2 medium-sized onions
• some oil for sautéing the onions
• Salt
• 500 g asparagus tips, cooked green
• 120 g salmon, smoked or pickled salmon
• Sugar
• some lemon juice
• Pepper, white

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Rest time approx. 3 hours; Total time approx. 3 hours 20 minutes

A wonderful and refreshing treat for hot summer days

Preparation: Sauté the finely chopped onions in a little oil without allowing them to brown. Add the flour and mix well. Pour in the cold asparagus stock and simmer gently for about 15 minutes. Stir well with a whisk to prevent lumps from forming and prevent anything from burning. Just before the end, add the liquid cream and bring to the boil briefly (this will keep the soup in the fridge for a few days). Strain the soup through a fine sieve and leave to cool (stirring frequently to prevent a skin from forming). Refrigerate for about 2-3 hours or overnight. Before serving, arrange the smoked salmon strips and asparagus pieces on the plates. Serve well chilled, perhaps with a spoonful of crème fraîche or some whipped cream on the side. Other garnish variations: Cooked green or white asparagus tips, smoked fish such as salmon, eel, sturgeon, halibut, etc., cooked prawns, shrimps, North Sea crabs, surimi products, fine strips of cucumbers, radishes, herbs such as dill, cress, chervil, chives, or parsley, and of course a combination according to taste and what you have in your refrigerator.