Buttermilchsuppe mit Birnen
Dairy products have always played an important role in the North German soup kitchen. In times when meat was a luxury restricted to Sundays, buttermilk soup was often cooked with a chunk of bacon and made more nourishing by adding small flour dumplings, called Klüten in the North German dialect. This is a contemporary light and meat-free version of buttermilk soup. It is served hot or chilled, which is a very refreshing way to start a summer meal.
Region Northern Germany
Ingredients
For the Pears:
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 ripe but firm pears such as Bosc
- 1 cinnamon stick
For the Soup:
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 quart lukewarm buttermilk
- pinch of salt
- pinch of ground cinnamon
Instructions
For the pears:
- Bring 2 cups water to a boil with the sugar in a large saucepan. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Peel and core the pears, remove their stems, and cut them in half. Reduce the heat to a simmer and place the pears in the liquid in a single layer. Add the cinnamon stick. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until the pears are soft but not falling apart. Remove the cinnamon stick and set the pears aside.
For the soup:
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the flour and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly with a spatula or wooden spoon, until well blended. Slowly stir in the buttermilk, whisking vigorously. Add the salt and simmer until the soup thickens.
- Strain the juice from the poached pears—the yield should be about 1½ cups—and gradually stir it into the soup. Simmer the soup for about 5 minutes and then add the cinnamon.
To serve
- Strain the juice from the poached pears—the yield should be about 1½ cups—and gradually stir it into the soup. Simmer the soup for about 5 minutes and then add the cinnamon.
