David's Recipes Need a soup that you can serve hot or cold? David Venable shares his Cream of Asparagus Soup recipe. For more recipes and tips from David: http://qvc.co/ShopITKWD

Asparagus is a springtime vegetable that's becoming more and more popular in the food world. In fact, it's not that tasteless and mushy vegetable that it used to be. Now, my Cream of Asparagus Soup is simple and satisfying. And while most folks will probably serve this soup hot, you can also chill it and serve it cold, which brings out all of its wonderful flavors. This makes it the perfect soup to use during the warm weather months. Don't have Crème Fraiche in your fridge? You probably do and don't know it. Crème Fraiche is a name for a mixture of buttermilk and heavy cream. Now the night before you serve this soup, take a few tablespoons of buttermilk and add it to a cup of heavy cream, stir it all up and let that mixture sit out on the countertop overnight. There's nothing like a crusty sandwich to go with a homemade bowl of soup. And if you're looking for a great sandwich to pair with this soup, check out my Ham and Goat Cheese Croissant Sandwich on QVC.com.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp butter
2 lbs asparagus, stem ends removed and cut into 2" pieces
1 cup mediumdiced onions
1/2 cup smalldiced celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Idaho potatoes, peeled and mediumdiced
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
4 cups chicken stock
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup half and half
1/4 cup crème fraîche
1 Tbsp milk

Directions:

Melt the butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and garlic and sauté until the onion is translucent, 58 minutes.
Add the asparagus, potatoes, thyme, chicken stock, salt, and pepper to the pot. Bring everything to a simmer and cook until the potatoes and asparagus are tender, about 5 minutes, being careful not to overcook.

Pour the soup into a blender and blend until smooth. Stir in the half and half and then divide the soup among individual serving bowls. Combine the crème fraîche and milk in a small bowl and drizzle over the soup in each bowl.