Nasturtium Soup

from the San Francisco Chronicle
via Mary Lonergan

serves 4

4 tablespoons butter
3 cups chicken broth
1 or 2 pinches saffron threads
15 nasturtium flowers
15 large nasturtium leaves
juice of 1 lime
*fleur de sel de Guerande, or other sea salt

Combine the butter, broth and saffron in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the nasturtium flowers and leaves and remove from the heat. Lift out the flowers and leaves and purée in a blender, gradually adding enough of the broth to make a mixture as smooth as possible. You'll have tiny flecks of flowers and leaves. Sieve it if you want a totally smooth soup.

Return the puréed mixture to the remaining broth in the pan and warm just long enough to bring the temperature up; do not let cook for longer than a minute or two. Season with lime juice and salt, and ladle into bowls to serve.

Garnish with snipped nasturtium flowers or a drizzle of puréed nasturtium flowers.

This soup is unusual, simple to make and delicious. The nasturtiums have a nice peppery flavor, and the nasturtium leaves provide balance with a milder flavor.

*Fleur de sel de Guerande is a hand-harvested sea salt from Brittany.