this is the one I've always used.

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/cream-of-asparagus-soup-creme-dasperges-104746

Those both sound amazing!! I would throw some herbs in, just because…LOL. Maybe marjoram?

I think the recipe you posted sounds absolutely perfect and so springy! I especially appreciate soup recipes that don't require cream or milk. Do you have time to give it a trial run?

Have not made but every other recipe I've used from Once Upon a Chef has been wonderful.

@justcallmepool, I did see that but I don't subscribe to Epicurious and with only a 3.7 rating, I'd want to see why in the comments?

Your recipe is just what I’ve made for half a century, mtn, except for the Parm. As a good Italian girl who loves Parmesan, it is my opinion that parm doesn't belong in this soup. It’s cream you want, or evaporated milk. Asparagus soup is delicate, parm is not. If it’s being used as a cream substitute, I don’t see the benefit.

I think the parm sounds delish-- but i enjoy parm and lemon on my steamed/roasted asparagus. I did not pick up that it was to be a cream substitute.. just a different flavor profile from the ubiquitous cream soups.

I just added asparagus to my weekly grocery order -- I have been on soft foods for over a month now and I am craving something new. There's only so many times i can eat spinach scrambled eggs or spinach ravioli without boredom setting in. Sorry, though-- my delivery is on Sunday so I won't have feedback before your luncheon.

This is our go to, as the recipe notes, works well hot or cold. https://www.finecooking.com/recipe/asparagus-soup-with-saffron-croutons

I tried this one, and don’t recommend.

https://www.thekitchn.com/cream-of-asparagus-soup-recipe-23012439

I used zucchini instead of asparagus, a leek instead of onion, was out of garlic, used garlic powder, only had margarine, so upped it to 4 tbsp, just had beef broth, so used that, and DH accidentally got yogurt instead of cream, so substituted that.

It was awful. I would not use this recipe again.

Don’t you hate when people leave comments like that? They change everything, then are all, Mmm, NOPE. Hated it!

😂

OMG, yes, Jinx!

Jinx, that always makes me laugh, when I look at the reviews for recipes from the NYT!

I always laugh, too. :D

I want someone to make my pretend recipe up there and see how it turns out. What if it turned into The Next Big Thing? I could get famous from just joking around here. I could get slapped by a famous chef at the awards show for smarting off.

Sorry to veer off, Mtn. I’m truly craving (real) asparagus soup right now! I could eat that every day.

I have been making vegetable soups for years without cream. Just broth and the veg and some seasoning, so your recipe really appeals to me. I can taste cream in things, and it is not always a taste/mouthfeel that I enjoy; too cloying. If I feel that a pureed veg soup lacks something, acid almost always fixes that or sometimes a bit of greek yogurt. The recipe that you posted sounds perfect to me; acid from the lemon and salt from the parm.

https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/green-pea-asparagus-soup-feta-mint-pita-croutons.html

I've decided to make the recipe above. It just seems/looks a little more interesting.

My menu:

Asparagus Soup

Fresh croissants with Herb butter

Charcuterie board

Crudite -- must make those cute carrots from mini peppers!

For dessert, I am hoping to find some nice canned peach halves. I will brown them in butter, then serve them with a dollop of creme fraiche and amaretti crumbs, in a pool of raspberry/dragonfruit puree.

I'm inspired by Peach Melba and a roasted pineapple dessert i made the last time these same guests came, And a bunch of leftover dragon fruit puree from my Smoothie Sampler.

Ahhh, that sounds so good!

A splash of cream never hurt anything, IMHO. Kind of like "Everything tastes better with cheese" although these days, with my touchy tummy, it is more likely to be coconut milk. That ads the creamy mouth feel but not a lot of taste . . .

Cream has way less lactose than many other diary products thought. Can always serve on the side for those who want it. When I make cream of anything soup, I tend to go light on the herbs, they can end up predominating and then someone maybe doesn't like . . . butter and lemon with most vegetables is really good though. Unless you are my lemon averse husband, but even he is inconsistent on that . . .

I once had cream of asparagus soup in a little bistro in a town outside of Berlin when we visited there for the cherry blossom festival they were having. I've always tried to re-create that wonderful experience when asparagus is in season . . . right now I can't eat it, it is on my big "no no" list for my tummy troubles. Not forever though hopefully.

I agree with all of the comments. I like asparagus with parm, but it could overpower in a soup. I like cream, but some cream soups are way too rich. My favorite way to add cream to a soup is dotted around the rim at the end, and then traced with a toothpick to form hearts. Just a touch of cream.

You can always bring some grated parm to the table and offer it as an optional topping. I do that a lot with soups . . . Same with maybe some cream fraiche if you can get it . . .

I sprinkle a little smoked paprika on mine, because I put that on just about every soup I eat.

Thank you, nekotish! That looks and sounds so good!

It was delicious - check out the Hairy Bikers (love that name) Big Soup, also delicious.

Totally OT so I hope it is OK, but another trick for roast chicken is to add a dusting of tumeric. Does not do much to alter the flavor but makes everything look rich and golden. Plus tumeric is anti inflammatory. I add it to a lot of soups to make them appear more golden like chicken or corn chowder. Not really relevant in the case of asparagus soup, but I add it to yellow split pea and squash or pumpkin soup . . . along with the smoked paprika for red lentil and tomato soups. Pesto is my go-to green up for a green colored soup like spinach or broccoli.

Word of warning about tumeric (just in general, not in the small amount in a recipe) I starting taking tumeric for its anti-infammatory properties and on me next yearly bloodwork, my liver enzymes were elevated. Thanks to a smart GP asking the right questions, I stopped the tumeric and my liver enzymes went back to normal.

Yeah, I took tumeric in pretty high levels trying to alleviate an inflammatory skin condition. It didn't work. I decided that just using it as a seasoning was probably good enough and a whole lot less money . . . Hubs always says that nothing works on me, but most herbal supplements don't. Which is kind of a shame because I love plants and I love using plant products, but so far, herbalism has been mostly a bust for me. At least for anything major. Ginger good for tummy and chamomile and mint relaxing, etc. but nothing has worked for the more chronic and serious conditions. But I don't consider herbal medicines totally benign or devoid of dosage concerns. That goes for vitamins too, they can cause a lot of toxicity if you aren't taking dosage into consideration. Vitamin A is one of the best known culprits. You can also pee away a lot of money that way too . . .

I like the first recipe mtn shared. I have never made it, but that one looks good to me.

We ( well DH) made the hairybiker Spanish Chicken tonight. It was really very good. Thank you Nekotish!

Mine is on the stove, waiting for my immersion blender. Had a long work day and not feeling chef-y just yet.

I posted my Vietnamese Crab Asparagus Soup recipe here, which you have probably already seen. It is one of my favorite soups.

I like the looks of the second asparagus, pea, mint soup. Sounds right up my alley, so I have iton my list, but it wont be next week as DH will be away on business and I am not making soup for one. I have a very exciting dinner plan organized for the three nights I am alone: mushrooms on toast, scrambled eggs with veggies, and vegetable quesadilla.

Lars, thanks for that reminder. We are getting lots of good asparagus in the stores here, but I'm going to have to hunt a bit for the crab/lobster soup bases.

Just finished making the soup. I think I might garnish it with mint, toasted pine nuts and the sour cream trail of hearts. : )

I find it very tasty and can see how one could eat it hot or cold. I will say it does not scream asparagus, but it is very fresh and spring-y. I put only about 1 T of mint,as I think my guests may want to control that. Otherwise I have made it as written.

It's pretty, too!

My Peach Melba-esque dessert dry run was underwhelming. Last time I did something like this I grilled the (canned) peach halves. They were not nearly as good sauteed. The Raspberry Dragon Fruit puree needs some thing too... maybe Chambord.

Round 1:

Lars, My guests would prob love that,but I'm allergic to shellfish, alas.

The soup looks sooo pretty!! Hope the luncheon was as fun as I am sure it was tasty!