Two egg yolks, 200 g double cream, whisked together separately and stirred into the cooled soup at the end. That is the step that turns blended asparagus pieces into a proper cream soup. In the Thermomix®, the liaison runs at exactly 80°C on reverse direction / speed 2. At 85°C the egg yolks break into flaky curds. Those five degrees of margin are the whole trick behind this soup.
We have been making this soup every asparagus season for years, at least once a week between April and midsummer. By now we know exactly where most home cooks go wrong. Most recipes sell asparagus cream soup as a 30-minute quick fix with double cream as the only thickener. That gives you a thin sauce with asparagus flavour, not a cream soup. We take the 50 minutes and the two binders, because the result is a different dish entirely.
Asparagus Cream Soup with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 11 ✓
- 500 g asparagus
- 900 g chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 1 pinch sugar
- 10 g olive oil
- 30 g cornflour
- 20 g dry white wine
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 egg yolks
- 200 g double cream
- salt
Instructions 0 / 6
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1
Peel the asparagus.
Wash the asparagus, trim the ends, peel and set the peelings aside.
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2
Cook the asparagus.
Cut the asparagus into pieces and place in the steamer basket. Add the stock, sugar, olive oil and asparagus peelings to the mixing bowl, insert the steamer basket and cook for 17 min / 100°C / speed 1.
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3
Reserve the cooking liquid.
Remove the asparagus and strain the cooking liquid through the steamer basket. Set aside.
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4
Add the asparagus to the mixing bowl.
Cut off the asparagus tips, set aside, and place the asparagus pieces into the mixing bowl.
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5
Blend the soup.
Add the cooking liquid, cornflour, wine, lemon juice and pepper to the mixing bowl and blend for 30 sec / gradually increasing speed 3 to 8. Cook for 6 min / 100°C / speed 2, then leave to cool for 5 minutes.
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6
Serve the asparagus soup.
Meanwhile, separate the eggs and whisk the egg yolks with the double cream in a bowl, then add to the soup. Add the asparagus tips to the soup and heat for 3 min / 80°C / reverse direction / speed 2. Season with salt and serve.
Tip: If you would like more asparagus pieces in the soup, cut one or two extra spears into small pieces and add them to the soup along with the asparagus tips in step 6.
Nutrition per serving
Asparagus peelings are the secret weapon for the stock
The 500 g of asparagus are peeled, cut into pieces and placed in the steamer basket. The peelings go straight into the mixing bowl. They cook together with 900 g chicken stock, a pinch of sugar and 10 g olive oil for 17 minutes at 100°C on speed 1. While the peelings release their flavour into the stock, the asparagus steams in the basket above. A lot of steps, but in the Thermomix® it all happens in parallel and without a second saucepan.
Anyone who throws the peelings away gets a pale chicken stock with asparagus pieces. The skin holds the bulk of the typical asparagus flavour, because that is where the essential oils and bitter compounds sit that pass into the water during cooking. After the 17 minutes we strain the cooking liquid through the steamer basket and the peelings go in the compost. What remains is a full-flavoured asparagus stock that carries the whole soup.
Why the soup needs two thickeners
Double cream alone does not thicken, it only enriches. Cornflour alone turns gluey and glossy. The combination of 30 g cornflour and the egg yolk and cream liaison is why this soup turns silky and coats the spoon without becoming stodgy. The cornflour goes into the mixing bowl with the asparagus stock, 20 g dry white wine, 1 tsp lemon juice and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper. Blend for 30 seconds on gradually increasing speed 3 to 8, then cook for 6 minutes / 100°C / speed 2. During this stage the cornflour swells and gives the soup body.
After that comes the five-minute cooling phase. That is not optional. If the egg yolk and cream mixture goes into a soup above 85°C, the egg yolk curdles within 20 seconds and you end up with scrambled egg in asparagus stock. At 80°C on reverse direction the liaison stays stable, the egg yolk binds the cream into the soup and we get the glossy finish that marks a well-made cream soup.
Where asparagus cream soup curdles or stays flat
Too little asparagus relative to the stock
Our reader Herta wrote to us after cooking the recipe: with 350 g asparagus instead of 500 g the soup tastes noticeably milder, almost like a chicken soup with asparagus pieces. The 500 g is not a suggestion, it is the minimum for 900 g stock. Our fix: If you have less asparagus, reduce the stock accordingly. With 400 g asparagus use 720 g stock, which keeps the ratio stable. Alternatively, plan on one or two extra spears for the garnish pieces.
Liaison added while still too hot
Anyone who pours the egg yolk and cream mixture straight into the soup directly after cooking, while it is still above 90°C, will see the first egg yolk flakes rising within 20 seconds. The soup cannot be rescued after that. Our fix: Stick to the five-minute cooling time consistently. The Thermomix® shows no countdown during this period, so set a timer. The 80°C in the final step is the upper limit, not a guideline.
Asparagus tips falling apart by serving time
Anyone who blends all the asparagus pieces in the mixing bowl loses the garnish. Asparagus tips are the hallmark of a good asparagus cream soup. Our fix: After cooking, cut off the tips and set them aside. They only go back into the soup at the end during the 3 min / 80°C / reverse direction / speed 2 step. Reverse direction means the blades run backwards and no longer chop anything. The tips stay intact.
Variations we make
With green asparagus: We swap the white asparagus 1:1 for green. Only the lower third needs peeling; the rest can cook as is. The soup turns a lighter green and has a slightly earthier flavour. The cayenne pepper can be left out here, as green asparagus has enough natural seasoning.
With spring onion and chervil: Finely chop a spring onion and add it to the soup along with the asparagus tips in the final step. Scatter fresh chervil over the top before serving. This turns the soup into a starter that also works well at Easter.
With smoked salmon: Cut 80 g smoked salmon into thin strips and portion onto each plate. Pour the hot soup over the top. The salmon flavour infuses the soup without the fish cooking through and falling apart.
Vegetarian with vegetable stock: The chicken stock can be swapped for vegetable stock. We recommend increasing the olive oil to 20 g so the soup still has a solid flavour base. Chicken stock brings umami, vegetable stock does not.
What goes well with asparagus cream soup
We usually serve this soup as a starter before perfectly cooked asparagus with the Thermomix® with ham and potatoes. Anyone who wants to stick with hollandaise for the main course will find our Sauce Hollandaise with the Thermomix®, which works on the same liaison principle with egg yolks. For a bread alongside the soup, a simple baguette or a spelt baguette works best as it does not overpower the soup.
Anyone who wants to make the most of asparagus season will find all our recipes gathered in the Asparagus Hub. There you will find risotto, salads, quiche and more. The season runs from April to midsummer and is short, so it is worth planning ahead.
2 days in the fridge, reheat gently
The soup keeps in the fridge for two days in a sealed jar. Important when reheating: do not heat above 80°C, otherwise the liaison will curdle afterwards. We pour the cold soup into the mixing bowl and heat it for 4 min / 80°C / reverse direction / speed 2. That keeps the silky texture stable.
Freezing does not work with this soup. The liaison separates on defrosting, the cream curdles and you end up with watery stock and egg yolk lumps. Anyone who wants to cook ahead is better off freezing only the asparagus stock from step 3. The liaison is then made fresh when serving. The stock keeps for up to three months in the freezer.
Leftovers the next day often taste better than on the day of cooking, because the flavours have had time to settle. The condition: the soup was chilled immediately after serving and not left standing lukewarm for hours.
More from asparagus season:
- All Asparagus Recipes with the Thermomix®
- Perfect Asparagus with the Thermomix®
- Sauce Hollandaise with the Thermomix®
