Velvety Jerusalem Artichoke Soup with Hazelnut Praline & Brown Butter

⏱ 55 min · Serves 4

Sunchokes have a nutty, faintly smoky sweetness that turns almost custardy when simmered in milk and cream. Blitzed until glossy and passed through a sieve, this soup is pure silk — then shattered hazelnut praline and a drizzle of brown butter give it crunch, caramel and a little restaurant swagger.

Per serving: 525 kcal · 10.5g protein · 45.0g carbs · 34.0g fat

Ingredients

• 600g Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice (for holding water)
• 40g unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, finely sliced
• 1 leek, white part only, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 small floury potato (about 120g), peeled and diced
• 400ml whole milk
• 400ml vegetable stock, hot
• 100ml double cream
• Sea salt and white pepper
• 1 tsp sherry vinegar or lemon juice, to finish
• For the hazelnut praline:
• 70g blanched hazelnuts
• 80g caster sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• Pinch of flaky salt
• To finish:
• 30g unsalted butter (for brown butter)
• 1 tbsp hazelnut oil (optional)
• Small handful of chervil or chopped chives

Method

1. Scrub the Jerusalem artichokes well (no need to peel if clean — the skins add flavour), slice thinly and drop into a bowl of water with the lemon juice to stop them browning.
2. Melt 40g butter in a heavy pan over low heat. Add the onion, leek and garlic with a good pinch of salt and sweat gently for 10 minutes until soft but not coloured — colour here dulls the soup's pale ivory look.
3. Drain the artichokes and add them with the diced potato. Stir for 2 minutes, then pour in the milk and hot stock. Bring barely to a simmer and cook, partly covered, for 20–25 minutes until everything is completely tender.
4. Meanwhile make the praline: toast the hazelnuts in a dry pan until golden and fragrant, then tip onto a lined baking tray. Heat the sugar and water in a small pan without stirring until it turns a deep amber caramel. Pour over the nuts, scatter with flaky salt and leave to set hard, about 15 minutes. Break up and pulse to a coarse rubble (or bash in a bag).
5. Brown the butter: melt 30g butter in a small pan and cook until the milk solids turn nut-brown and it smells biscuity. Pour into a bowl to stop the cooking.
6. Blend the soup in batches until absolutely smooth — a full 2 minutes per batch on high. Add the cream, blend again, then pass through a fine sieve back into a clean pan for true velvet texture.
7. Reheat gently, season with salt, white pepper and the sherry vinegar — the acidity lifts the whole thing. Loosen with a splash of milk if it's thicker than pouring cream.
8. Ladle into warm bowls. Drizzle with brown butter and hazelnut oil, scatter generously with praline rubble and herbs, and serve at once while the praline is still crisp.