Almond Soup

Ingredients

• 4 lbs lean beef or veal
• 0.5 scrag of mutton
• 1 oz vermicelli
• 4 blades of mace
• 6 cloves
• 0.5 lb sweet almonds
• 6 egg yolks
• 150 ml thick cream
• 2.3 litres water

Method

This is fundamentally a stock-based soup thickened with a ground almond emulsion. The strength of the final dish depends entirely on the depth of your beef and lamb stock, so treat this as a two-stage process: build the base, then marry it with the almond liaison.

Start by bringing the beef (or veal) and mutton to a boil in the water, then immediately reduce to the gentlest simmer—you want occasional bubbles breaking the surface, not a rolling boil. This slow extraction takes 3 to 4 hours. The meat itself becomes incidental; what matters is that collagen from the bones and connective tissue hydrates into gelatin, building body. Skim the surface regularly in the first 30 minutes to remove the grey albumin that clouds the stock. When the meat is falling apart and the liquid has reduced by roughly a third, strain through muslin into a clean pot. You should have a clean, amber-coloured liquid—if it's murky or greasy, the heat was too high.

Return the strained stock to a medium heat. Add the vermicelli, mace blades, and cloves. Simmer until the pasta is soft and the spices have fully infused the broth—about 20 minutes. The soup should smell distinctly of clove without tasting harsh or metallic; if it does, stop immediately.

While the stock simmers, blanch the almonds in boiling water for 90 seconds, drain, and slip off the skins. The bitterness of the raw almond skin will dominate otherwise. Working in batches, pound the blanched almonds to a fine paste in a mortar. Here's the critical move: add a little of the cooled stock as you grind. The cold liquid keeps the almond oils from breaking emulsification|emulsifying into a greasy slick—once the almonds reach a smooth pulp, you can gradually work in more of the cooled broth, stirring it in rather than pounding. This takes patience; rushing the incorporation will split the emulsion and leave you with a separated, oily disaster.

Pass the almond mixture through a fine sieve back into the hot stock, pressing gently to extract all the suspension. Stir constantly as it heats through—3 to 4 minutes should suffice. Just before service, remove from heat, stir in the thick cream, and return briefly to a gentle warmth without allowing it to boil. Serve in warmed bowls.