If you have ever heard of the legendary Chef Warren Leruth, you know he was extraordinary and incredibly accomplished. Among many other things, and small in comparison to his overall legacy, he is credited for revolutionizing the food scene in New Orleans in the mid-60’s.
Leruth began his career as a food chemist and over the course of his life never stopped perfecting his one-of-a-kind and highly regarded vanilla extract. He was the youngest ever elected to the Honorable Golden Toques, the highest acclaimed recognition a chef can receive in America; and his achievements as a baker, a restaurateur, and for his work in industrial test kitchens put him on the map as a culinary genius.
He was gifted with a superhuman taste sensitivity: He could easily distinguish a flavor at one ten thousandth of a gram in a fifteen ton batch. He came up with the names, including Green Goddess, and the recipes for the Seven Seas salad dressings (now owned by Kraft) and holds a patent for his method of stabilizing the oil and keeping commercial dressings pourable. He later went on to create and perfect recipes for Outback Steakhouse, Krystal, Burger King, Nestle, and Popeyes, just to name a few; and seriously, this only scratches the surface of his achievements.
And if everything else I know of him were not enough, Chef Warren Leruth invented the masterpiece that is Oyster Artichoke Soup, though he called it Potage LeRuth, and for me that is a crowning jewel of his most esteemed accomplishments. He introduced his now classic soup to the world at his eponymous restaurant, LeRuth’s, which opened in 1966 in Greta, not New Orleans, Louisiana. Although less than ten miles from NOLA’s city center, Gretna is on the other side of the river and a formidable city in its own right, but food historians, current chefs, restaurant owners as well as former patrons of LeRuth’s believe LeRuth’s was and will always remain the greatest restaurant New Orleans ever had (even though it was actually in Gretna).
Oyster Artichoke Soup, or as it was known, Potage Leruth, was a menu staple at the restaurant and an absolute overnight sensation. The love for it spread like wildfire as professional chefs and home cooks alike rushed to develop their own versions. Leruth made his original with canned artichoke hearts and dried herbs — not what you might expect in what was known as the best fine-dining establishment in New Orleans (despite being in Greta). Neither did his soup contain milk or cream. He relied on his light roux and the juices from the freshly shucked oysters to properly enrich the broth.
My family’s adaptation is not made with milk or half-and-half as most current recipes of today are, but it does have a tad bit cream as a finishing option. During the last minutes when my soup is almost ready and I taste to make final adjustments, I am always astounded that such few ingredients can yield something so sublimely delicious. It comes down to the two main ingredients: oysters and artichokes pairing so exceptionally well. The brackish, mineral flavors of the oysters are complemented perfectly by the tangy, nutty, earthy artichokes. A light touch of herbs, some seasonings and a bright pop of fresh lemon juice, and you have a most brilliant concoction, a concoction that is now as much of a Creole classic as gumbo.
Only the smallest amount of cream is needed, or rather desired, and I add it at the very last. The soup stands proudly without it, so your preference will dictate, but a tiny bit of rich cream brings about a comforting and elegant finish, making it even more of a standout first course for your upcoming holiday meals.
Oyster Artichoke Soup (Potage Leruth)
Ingredients
1 pint fresh shucked oysters (do not drain)
Oyster liquor + chicken broth, to equal 5 cups liquid (see directions)
1 can artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed, chopped
4 tablespoons butter
2 bunches green onions, finely chopped, green and white parts separated
Additional regular onion, finely chopped, if needed to make 1 cup
1 cup celery, finely diced
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
Scant 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves (not ground)
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
4 tablespoons flour
1 bay leaf
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire
Dash of cayenne or hot sauce of choice
1/4-1/2 cup heavy cream
Chopped fresh parsley, optional
Dry sherry, for the table
Directions
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Strain oysters over a large measuring cup to collect all the liquor (water) in container. Make sure to strain for sandy grit as well. Use up to 3 1/2 to 4 cups oyster liquor. (You can ask for extra oyster liquor from where you purchase your oysters.) Add chicken broth to liquor to make 5 cups total of liquid, and set aside.
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Cut oysters to the size you prefer. I prefer small, bite-sized pieces.
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Chop onion, celery and green onions, separate white and green parts, and set aside. (If you have at least a cup of the white parts of chopped green onions, you do not have to use any additional onion.)
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In a heavy bottom soup pot, melt butter over medium-low heat, then add celery, white parts of green onions, and additional onion, if needed, to make 1 cup of onion. Do not brown. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring often, until soft. Then add garlic, thyme, white pepper, and salt, and cook another 2 minutes.
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Sprinkle flour into the pot and stir a few minutes to make a light roux. Do not brown.
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Add combined oyster liquor and chicken broth, bay leaf, and a handful of chopped green parts of green onions, and bring to a low boil.
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Add artichokes and oysters, lemon juice, Worcestershire, dash of cayenne or hot sauce, and bring back up to a low boil then reduce heat and allow to cook low about 10 minutes.
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Check seasonings, especially salt. The need for additional salt can change quite a lot according to your proportion of chicken broth to oyster liquor.
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Options: Add cream to soup and heat gently before serving, or ladle into individual bowls then lightly stir in a couple of tablespoons of cream into each bowl.
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Add a very light sprinkling of fresh parsley and a few finely chopped green onions to finish if desired.
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Serve along with dry sherry for the table.
Cook's Notes
Buying and preparing oysters:
If your seafood shop dips the oysters from a gallon container, you can ask for an additional pint of liquor to use in your soup. This extra plus what is in your container of oysters should make up about 3 1/2 to 4 cups, which is a great proportion in your 5 cups of liquid for this soup. Be sure to strain liquor for bits of sediment. I use kitchen scissors to cut the oysters at least in half before adding them to the soup. The size is up to you.
Puree for a smooth soup or leave some texture:
I prefer a coarse chop of both artichokes and oysters to a smooth texture. It is not uncommon to puree this soup, but generally each bowl would then be garnished with a whole oyster or two and some chunkier bits of artichoke. Preference dictates.
Onion:
Have a regular onion on hand, but if the white parts of the green onions make up 1 cup, that is all you need. You will most likely have some green parts left over as you only need 1 big handful.
