Watercress and pear soup

Watercress and pear soup
For extra flavor, serve this velvety soup with shredded Parmesan cheese.

2 tbsp butter
1 onion, finely chopped
6oz (175g) watercress
3 ripe pears, peeled, cored, and roughly chopped
1qt (liter) chicken stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3⁄4 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
olive oil, to drizzle

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cover. Cook,
stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes, or until tender. Meanwhile, trim the watercress and pluck off the leaves. Add the watercress stems to the pot with the pears and stock. Bring to a boil over high heat.
Cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes, or until the pears are tender. Season with salt and
pepper. Reserving a few watercress leaves for garnish, purée the soup and watercress leaves in
a blender. Add the cream and lemon juice, and adjust the seasoning.
Serve hot, garnished with watercress leaves.
The soup can cooled, covered, and refrigerated up to one day.