I have fallen in love with a tiny little bundle, and I have been using it like some girls use French perfume–nobody knows what it is, but everybody wants to know who just walked in the room.

In the same old mix of leeks and potatoes, I add the tiniest stalk from the inside of the celery–no bigger than my pinky, a sprig of thyme, a sprig of flat leaf parsley, and a bay leaf, and in 20 minutes, I don’t want to be anywhere, but with that soup and a spoon.  Last night, just as the potatoes were nearing tender, I added the tops of a stalk of broccoli to the mix and set the lid back on until they turned Spring green.  I blended the whole thing (remove the bay leaf first) and added a pour of heavy cream, a grate of nutmeg, and a crouton covered with slivers of Gruyere.