Creamy Jerusalem Artichoke Soup Velouté Recipe

Discover the simplicity behind the gourmet veil. Create a luscious Jerusalem artichoke velouté with these simple ingredients and our easy-to-follow Jerusalem artichoke soup recipe. Discover the velvety, nutty goodness of this Jerusalem artichoke velouté that rivals the best velouté creations of the best chefs. For the ultimate dining experience, enjoy it with one of our targeted wine pairing recommendations.

Wine Pairing Recommendations

You may be surprised to find out that you can pair soup with wine. When it comes to successful food and wine pairing recommendations, the key to success lies in considering the flavor, intensity, and texture of both the soup and the wine. The nutty and sweet flavor of the sunchoke pairs beautifully with wine that has similar characteristics. Our wine pairing recommendations for this soup are:

• Chardonnay: A full-bodied, oaked Chardonnay can work well with the creamy texture of Jerusalem artichoke soup. Look for one with buttery and nutty notes to enhance the flavors of the soup. We found Montrachet, a full-bodied and oaked Chardonnay from France, to be an especially successful wine pairing recommendation.
• Viognier: This white wine offers floral and stone fruit aromas with a slightly oily texture. It complements well the earthy and nutty notes in the soup and makes for an excellent food and wine pairing with this dish.
• Fiano di Avelino: This wine pairing is decidedly off the beaten path. Fiano di Avelino is a white wine of Italian South. Its immense purity of fruit, elegance and refinement places it in the top rank of all Italian white wines. The straw yellow wines are characterized by lush notes of quince, orange blossom, spice and hazelnuts. Give it a try and see if it’s certainly worth trying it with the soup to see if you like the combination.

When pairing wine with Jerusalem artichoke soup, it’s generally a good idea to avoid heavily oaked red wines or tannic red wines, as they may clash with the soup’s delicate flavors.

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Chardonnay, Fiano, Viognier

What is Jerusalem artichoke?

Jerusalem artichoke and sunchoke are two names for the same vegetable. It’s like having two nicknames for your pet cat. Both names refer to a plant that grows underground, a bit like potatoes. Even though it’s called “Jerusalem artichoke,” it has nothing to do with Jerusalem or artichokes!

The fun fact about the Jerusalem artichoke is that It is a type of sunflower native to North America. The name “sunchoke” is used to emphasize its connection to the sunflower family. The part of the plant that we eat is called the tuber, and it tastes a bit nutty and sweet, somewhat like the sunflower seeds.

Cooking with Jerusalem artichoke

You can cook Jerusalem artichoke it in different ways, like roasting or boiling, and use it in salads or soups. Whether you call it Jerusalem artichoke or sunchoke, it’s a tasty and versatile veggie! Many people like using sunchoke in soups, where it can be the main vegetable star. Alternatively, combine it with potatoes and mushrooms. Because of its flavor, sunchoke soup benefits from the addition of cream or milk. Vegans can substitute either of these ingredients with coconut cream.

If you are using young Jerusalem artichokes, you can get away with thoroughly scrubbing the Jerusalem artichokes under running water using a vegetable brush. Scrubbing helps remove any dirt or debris from the skin. You should choose to peel older Jerusalem artichokes if their skin appears tough. Use a vegetable peeler and gently remove the outer layer, just like you would peel potato skin.

Critically, clean Jerusalem artichokes just before use to prevent browning.

Why soak peeled Jerusalem artichokes?

Many Jerusalem artichoke recipes, including ours, recommend soaking peeled Jerusalem artichokes in a bowl of cold water with a bit of vinegar or lemon juice. While this step is optional and won’t impact the taste of your soup, it is recommended to prevent the browning of the sliced Jerusalem artichoke.

What is velouté?

In the context of Sunchoke soup, the term “velouté” is used to describe its smooth and creamy texture. Unlike its strict definition in French cuisine, where velouté refers to a sauce made with a roux and light stock, in Sunchoke soup, it’s more about the luxurious feel of the soup. The sunchokes and other ingredients are blended or pureed to create a smooth, velvety consistency, and that’s why it is casually referred to as “velouté soup.” It’s not a strict use of the term, but it highlights the creamy and smooth texture of the soup well.

Recipe at a glance

Ingredients:

• 1 leek, white part only
• 2 shallots
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 2 lb. (1 kg.) Jerusalem artichoke
• 4 tbsp. butter
• 2 cups cream
• 2 cups light chicken stock
• 4 sprigs of thyme
• ½ cup dry sherry wine
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Substitutions

While any substitution can impact the flavor of the final dish, these are some of the substitutions that you can try:

1. You can substitute leek with white or even yellow onion. If you go with this substitution, add one extra clove of garlic to the ingredients
2. Sherry is what makes this soup taste so upscale. However, if you do not consume alcohol, you can skip it altogether. If you are looking for an alcoholic beverage substitution, dry Madeira can work fine with this soup. Unfortunately, there’s no viable non-alcoholic substitution that we can recommend to you. The best we can recommend is adding a tablespoon of unrefined sunflower oil to your soup when you start cooking the ingredients.
3. You can substitute dairy in this soup with non-dairy products, such as swapping butter for sunflower oil and cream for coconut cream.

Tools to use in this recipe

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Instructions

Preparing vegetables:

1. Wash and scrub or peel the sunchokes.
2. Have a large pot of cold water with a bit of lemon ready. Slice sunchokes and place them immediately in a bowl of water.

Cooking Jerusalem artichoke soup:

1. In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add sliced leeks, shallots, and garlic; sauté until soft and translucent, around 7 minutes.
2. Add peeled and sliced sunchokes to the pot. Then add thyme leaves, cooking briefly (2-3 minutes) before deglazing with sherry.
3. Stir, allowing most of the alcohol to evaporate.
4. Pour in chicken broth and cream, bringing the soup to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until sunchokes are tender (25-30 minutes).
5. Use an immersion blender or transfer to a blender, pureeing until smooth. For a creamier soup, add one cup of heavy whipping cream to the soup at this time.
6. Season with salt and pepper. Adjust consistency by adding more broth if needed. If you added whipping cream, make sure to bring the soup to a boil before storing it.
7. Serve with a touch of truffle oil or parmesan crisps.

Recipe Card

Jerusalem Artichoke Soup Velouté

Unlock the secret to culinary elegance with our 40-minute Jerusalem Artichoke Soup Velouté. This simple recipe features sunchokes, leeks, shallots, garlic, thyme, sherry, chicken stock, and cream.

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 1 leek white part only
• 2 shallots
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 2 lb. Jerusalem artichoke 1 kg.
• 4 tbsp. butter
• 2 cups cream
• 2 cups light chicken stock
• 4 sprigs of thyme
• ½ cup dry sherry wine
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream optional
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preparing vegetables:

• Wash and scrub or peel the sunchokes. Have a large pot of cold water with a bit of lemon ready. Slice sunchokes and place them immediately in a bowl of water.
• Wash and slice the leek. Peel and slice the shallots and garlic.

Cooking Jerusalem artichoke soup:

• In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add sliced leeks, shallots, and garlic; sauté until soft and translucent, around 7 minutes.
• Add peeled and sliced sunchokes to the pot. Add thyme leaves, cooking briefly (2-3 minutes) before deglazing with sherry.
• Stir, allowing most of the alcohol to evaporate.
• Pour in chicken broth and cream, bringing the soup to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until sunchokes are tender (25-30 minutes).
• Use an immersion blender or transfer to a blender, pureeing until smooth. For a creamier soup, add 1 cup of heavy whipping cream to the soup at this time.
• Season with salt and pepper. Adjust consistency by adding more broth if needed. If you added whipping cream, make sure to bring the soup to a boil before storing it.
• Serve with a touch of truffle oil or parmesan crisps.

Course Lunch

Cuisine French

Keyword Jerusalem Artichoke Soup, Soup Velouté, Sunchoke Velouté