Cream of Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

-1/3 cup unsalted butter
-2 potatoes, cut into cubes
-1 carrot, cut into cubes
-1/2 onion, cut into cubes
-2 small leeks, white part only, thinly sliced
-1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
-Bouquet garni
-3/4 cup whipping cream
-Salt and pepper, to taste
-Chopped fresh chervil or parsley, to garnish
-Crusty bread, for serving

Directions

Heat the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the vegetables, cover, and cook until soft. Add the bouguet garni. Pour in 6 cups water and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Discard the bouquet garni.
Puree the soup, in batches, in a blender or food processor, then strain into a clean pan and cook over low heat for 10 minutes.
Add the whipping cream and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve very hot, sprinkled with the chervil or parsley and accompanied by crusty bread.
Tip: A bouquet garni is a small bunch of herbs — usually parsley, thyme, and bay leaves — tied together in a bundle or sachet.