Lentil Soup with Goat Cheese and Bacon

This is a de luxe French soup created by  2 Michellin star Chef Tim Raue. His Berlin restaurant is in the top 50 restaurants of the world. It is delicous and just needs a bit planning for the right timing of the components for the soup. And it does not need outrageous ingredients.

I started with Italian panchetta, fresh from the Deli counter of my supermarket. I asked for 0,5 cm thick slices. Placed in baking paper on a baking sheet and topped with a smaller oven proof dish. 15 min on 170 C - perfectly crispy. Just resting on kitchen to get rid of extra grease.

While that was in the oven, I prepared the goat cheese cream. Heat 75 ml of milk and add 75 g slices of goat cheese to melt. Use a stick blender to make it creamier. Set aside to cool down. Add the 75 g Mascarpone cheese and stir well. Put in the fridge.

Now the lentil soup. 

100 g onion, 75 g bacon, 160 g red lentils

1 bay leaf, 900 ml chicken stock, 100 ml double cream, 1 tsp Piment d' Espelette

Sprouts

Chop bacon and fry it off in a pot. Add chopped onions and give them some time. Add lentils and stock and bay leaf. Cook for 25 min. Put in a blender after you removed the bay leaf.

Add cream and Piment d'Espelette and reheat. 

Serve with a dollop of goat cheese cream and a panchetta chip