watercress soup

It always hits me at this time of year (study for finals weekend) that time goes by so fast. It seems like just last week was the first day of professional school and now, I'm getting ready to finish up 1st year and go do rotations. Only 3 more years of school and I'll officially be a RPh (pending I pass the boards)!

With that said, I should be unable to post for awhile...is what I'd like to say but I slacked off today and did a lot of cooking. On a side note, I unintentionally did a starter, main and a dessert today so stay tuned for the rest! First up is a Watercress Soup with a poached egg.

Now, this recipe is so easy that even my friend Ryne could make it seem like it was made by a 3 star chef. You can omit the bacon in this recipe but it really does take the soup to a whole different level so I really do recommend putting it in! I've tried it both with/without the bacon and the version with bacon is definitely better (and really, what isn't better w/ bacon?)

Watercress Soup
By Gordon Ramsay, Serves 4

Ingredients:
- 4 strips of bacon, cut into lardons (strips)
- approximately 75g of watercress
- 1 medium potato, sliced thin (use mandolin if on hand)
- 2.5 cups boiling water
- 4 eggs, to poach

1) Cut the bacon into lardons and sauté the bacon is browned. Meanwhile, bring the water to a boil in a kettle.
2) Add in watercress, season with salt and pepper. Let the watercress sweat down for about 30 seconds.
3) Add in thinly sliced potatoes and the boiling water. Because the potatoes are so thin, they should cook in matter of minutes. Give it about 2 minutes or until tender.
4) Using a ladle, transfer the mixture to a blender. Don't add all of the water in. I'd say about 2 out of the 2.5 cups you started out with. You can always adjust the consistency. Remember: you can always add but you can't take away. Check seasoning after blended. It should be almost a purée like consistency.
5) Get a whirlpool going in another big pot and poach the eggs. I would like to note that taking pictures of this stage by myself is EXTREMELY difficult if not impossible so there are no pictures :(
6) Poach the eggs for about a minute or two and place in ice water to prevent it from overcooking.
7) Place the poached egg in the serving bowl and season lightly with pepper. Just add the soup from one side of the bowl and it'll travel around to the other side. Break the yolk and let it enrich the soup.
And to the new/old readers that have commented recently, thank you so much for reading! It really is inspiring to know that people enjoy reading your blog and I'll continue to do my best to update, even with school breathing behind my back.