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1
Simmer the almonds and stock together for 20 minutes.
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2
Squeeze them hard through a clean, unstarched linen towel.
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3
Heat the oil over a very low heat in a heavy-bottomed pan.
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4
Stir in the flour away from the heat.
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5
Gradually add the strained almond stock and bring to the boil, stirring continuously to avoid lumping.
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6
Season lightly with salt and pepper and cook for a further 10 minutes over a low heat.
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7
Strain again through a fine sieve and put aside to cool in a bowl.
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8
Cover with an oiled paper cut to fit the surface area of the soup.
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9
(If you use a buttered paper, the butter will harden when the soup is cold.)
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10
When cold, transfer to the refrigerator and chill well.
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11
Before serving, whip the cream until the whisk leaves an obvious tail which takes a few seconds to subside.
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12
Fold the cream into the soup.
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13
Garnish with a sprinkling of fresh flaked almonds.
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14
An alternative and equally good way of making this soup is to put the stock and almonds through the blender.
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15
This will give you a slightly thicker soup than the original recipe, so have a little more clear chicken stock chilled and at the ready to thin it down if you so wish.
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16
The finished soup should well coat the back of a dessert-spoon-not a wooden spoon, as liquid clings too readily to the wood and is not a good indication of consistency.
