She-crab Soup

Chef Chris Vogeli from III Forks shares a soup to celebrate "National Soup Month".

Yield: 6  8oz portions

4 oz         Unsalted Butter
1 each     Medium Onion, rough diced
2 stalks    Celery, rough chopped
3 cloves   Garlic, crushed
1 pound   Gumbo Crabs
1 each      Bay Leaf
1 tsp         Thyme
½ tsp        Ground Celery Seed
½ cup       Flour
1 quart      Chicken Stock
1 quart      Milk, whole
1 tsp         Salt
1/8 tsp      White Pepper
1 cup        Heavy Cream
1/4 cup     Sherry
1/2 tsp      Tabasco 
12 ounces Lump Crab Meat
3 each       Eggs, hard boil
Chopped

Parsley for Garnish

Melt butter is a stockpot over medium heat.  Add the onion, celery, garlic, gumbo crabs and bay leaf, sweat down for 5 minutes until translucent.  Stirring occasionally trying to break up the crabs.  Add the thyme and ground celery seeds.  Sprinkle in the flour and stir until it incorporates with all the moisture.  Whisk in the chicken stock, milk, salt and white pepper stirring constantly until free of lumps.  Slowly bring to a boil and reduce heat allowing to simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the cream, tobacco and sherry.  Strain through a fine colander.  Keep soup hot till service.  

To serve, divide the lump crab meat and chopped eggs amongst 6 soup dishes.  Ladle the hot soup into the bowls covering the crab and eggs.  Garnish