White Bean Soup with Bacon

Ingredients:

• 1/2 strip chopped bacon
• 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp (15 g) unsalted butter
• 2 finely chopped shallots
• 850 g canned white beans, pre-rinsed and dried
• 6 chopped sage leaves
• 4 crushed cloves of garlic
• 3 cups unsalted chicken broth
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 tsp ground red hot pepper
• Coarse salt
• 3 slices of toasted bread
• 55 g goat cheese, room temperature
• Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

1. In a small heavy-bottomed saucepan, fry the bacon for 3 minutes, or until half-cooked. Add the olive oil and butter, and sauté the shallots for 6 minutes, or until softened. Add the beans, sage, garlic, and broth, bring the mixture to a simmer, and cook for another 15 minutes.
2. Pour the resulting mixture into a blender or food processor, dividing it into three equal parts, and blend until smooth (be careful, as hot liquid may splash out of the blender while blending). Pour the pureed soup back into the saucepan, add cream, red pepper flakes, and salt to taste. Leave the soup on the stove to keep warm.
3. Spread a thick layer of goat cheese on toasted bread and cut into 2cm-thick croutons. Serve the soup in shallow glasses, top with goat cheese croutons, and sprinkle with black pepper.