Grilled Ramp Soup

Ingredients

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 quarts chicken broth
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons olive oil
Emeril's Original Essence
4 bunches fresh ramps, trimmed and large leaves removed
FOR GARNISH:
4 grilled ramps
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Crust bread

Instructions

Combine the vegetable oil and the flour in a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, to make a blond roux, 5 to 6 minutes. Whisk in the stock and the cream. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low.

Lightly grill 6 of the ramps. Cut the remaining ramps into 1-inch pieces. Add the chopped ramps to the soup, season with salt and pepper, and simmer for about 40 minutes. Remove from the heat and using a hand-held blender, puree the soup until smooth.

Ladle the soup into shallow bowls, garnish with the grilled ramps and the parsley. Serve with crusty bread.

Makes 6 servings