Asparagus Soup With Sour Cream

Directions

1. Heat butter in soup pot. Add in onion, leeks, salt, and pepper and sweat for 5 min. In cheesecloth combine bay leaf and thyme and tie to create sachet. Add in sachet of herbs to vegetables. Have stock simmering in saucepan. Add in warm stock to vegetables, bring to the boil, reduce, and simmer for 20 min. Add in asparagus bottoms, and continue to simmer for 10 min. Remove sachet of herbs. With immersion blender, puree soup (or possibly puree in batches in a standing blender).
2. Carefully strain soup through fine sieve. Return strained soup to the pot and reboil. Add in cream and heat through, but don't boil.
3. Serve immediately with warm asparagus tips strewn in as garnish. Finish with a dollop of lowfat sour cream.
4. This recipe yields 6 to 8 servings.
5. Comments: Please note which this soup may be chilled and served cool.