One pound of dry white beans
Water
Stock
Salt
Butter
A carrot
An onion
Two leeks
A stick of celery
White stock
The yolk of three eggs
A cup of cream
Some boiled green peas

For garnish
Croutons

"Soak one pound of white beans for twelves hours, then put them into a stock pot with a little salt, butter, and water, add a carrot, an onion, two leeks, and a stick of celery, and simmer until the vegetables are well cooked; then take out all the fresh vegetables, drain the beans and pass them through a sieve, but first dilute them with good stock. Put this puree into a stock, pot with good white stock, and when it has boiled keep it hot in a bain-marie until you are about to serve; then mix the yolk of three eggs in a cup of cream, and add this to the soup. Pour the soup into a warm tureen, add some boiled green peas, and serve with fried croutons handed separately."

This recipe (No. 109) was first published in "The Cook's Decameron: a study in taste, containing over two hundred recipes for Italian dishes," written by Mrs. W.G. Waters and published by William Heineman (1920). For the entire copyright-free cookbook see www.archive.org. A variety of recipes from this cookbook can also be found on this website.... P.S. I tried this soup and it is delicious, though it is rather rich to put it mildly. Photo and notes: Mary Melfi.

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