Asparagus Velouté with Goat's Cheese

Prepare the asparagus: snap the woody ends from the spears, cut off the top 4 cm as tips and set aside separately, then cut the remaining stalks into 3 cm pieces. Finely dice the onion, slice the garlic, and slice and wash the leek.

Bring a medium saucepan of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Add the asparagus stalks and blanch for 90 seconds, then immediately transfer with a slotted spoon to a large bowl of iced water; after 2 minutes, drain and pat dry. In the same boiling water, blanch the reserved tips for 60 seconds, shock in ice water, drain, and set aside for garnish.

In a large, heavy-based saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil until the foam subsides. Add the onion and leek with a pinch of salt and sweat, stirring occasionally, for 8–10 minutes until completely soft and translucent but not coloured.

Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes until fragrant.

Pour in the white wine and simmer for 3–4 minutes until the liquid is reduced by half and the raw alcohol smell has gone.

Add the blanched asparagus stalks and the hot vegetable stock. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes until the stalks are completely tender when pierced with a knife.

Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Working in batches if necessary, blend the soup at high speed for 2 full minutes per batch until completely smooth, then pass through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing firmly with a ladle to extract maximum liquid.

Return the strained soup to a clean saucepan and warm gently over low heat until just steaming — do not boil. Remove from heat and whisk in the crumbled chèvre and lemon juice until fully incorporated and the soup is glossy and velvety. Adjust seasoning with salt and white pepper.

Ladle the velouté into warmed bowls. Garnish each serving with the reserved asparagus tips, a small crumble of fresh chèvre, a few tarragon leaves, and a fine drizzle of olive oil. Serve immediately.