Reflecting soup's growing sophistication, the line includes such varieties as shiitake mushroom bisque, carrot pistachio Reggiano, Southwestern sweet potato and Cajun mussel. Pete Pavesic, executive chef at Insignia in Atlanta, says canellini beans serve a two-fold purpose. Some of the beans can be pur ed or cooked down for thickness while the rest stay intact for texture. De'Martino sees opportunity with chickpeas. He pur es them and pairs the thick soup with shrimp.
Thick texture can also come from loading up on ingredients.
It's so chock-full of seafood that it steals center stage from the creamy liquid. At La Caravelle in New York, Executive Chef Cyril Renaud emphasizes the abundance of legumes by creating a mixed-bean soup, including runner and cranberry, integrated with diced vegetables and black truffles garnished with lobster or scallops. It ranks as one of the restaurant's most popular soups. Diced seasonal vegetables also add heft to his cream of chicken soup. But increasingly, garnishes are becoming an integral part of the presentation, taking the food to another level.