Post #637375 by jokeiii on Tue, May 22, 2012 2:31 AM

Here is another Tiki food classic, Trader Vic's Bongo-Bongo soup:

10oz frozen spinach, partially thawed (I usually steam my own spinach and then freeze it so it stays BRIGHT green, but that's just my being obsessive)
6 oysters, shucked with their juice
2 t clam juice (bottled is fine)
1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
White pepper to taste (black is OK, but will mar the look)
4 c half & half (try not to get anything ultra-pasteurized)
1 T butter
2 T A-1 steak sauce (if you're a steak sauce kind of person, try to get a mini bottle if possible)
½ t Tabasco (original)
½ t Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce
Fine sea salt, to taste
½ t cornstarch
3 T heavy cream, chilled

Put oysters and their juice, clam juice, garlic, and pepper to taste into a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer, add spinach, breaking up spinach with the back of a spoon, and simmer until JUST thawed, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a blender and purée until very smooth. Set this aside.

Preheat broiler. Whip cream to the "soft peaks" stage. Bring half & half to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in butter -- you don't want the butter to separate -- and return to a simmer. Add A-1, Tabasco, L&P, and salt to taste. Dissolve cornstarch in 1 T water, then whisk into soup. Add then spinach–oyster purée and warm over lowest heat. You really want to NOT overcook the spinach, to keep it as green as popssible. If the soup is olive colored, you blew it.

Divide soup between 4 shallow heatproof soup bowls and put a big glob of whipped cream on top of each. Place bowls of soup under broiler -- a kitchen torch will work also -- to brown cream, then serve soup immediately