Tea Room Recipe #36 - L.S. Ayres Tea Room (Indianapolis, Ind.)

This week's recipe is a famous one, a creamy chicken soup which, I am pleased to report, lived up to all the fanfare!

For a while now I've had this L.S. Ayres Tea Room cookbook, which features recipes from the tea room at the legendary Indianapolis department store. I'd heard about the famous Chicken Velvet Soup long before I got the cookbook, because this recipe has been widely shared through the years, but I wanted this cookbook because of the variety of recipes and historic photos from the tea room. While L.S. Ayres is no more, the tea room itself may still be enjoyed through the Indiana State Museum, which has reproduced the old tea room right there in Indianapolis. Last I checked, the tea room was being renovated and was due to re-open in December. Go here to learn more--and meanwhile, enjoy a cup of this rich, creamy and delicious Chicken Velvet Soup!

Chicken Velvet Soup

3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup warm milk
1 pint hot chicken stock
1 cup warm cream
1 quart chicken stock
1-1/2 cups chopped, cooked chicken
1/4 tablespoon salt
Dash pepper

Over medium heat, combine butter and flour, whisking constantly. Add warm milk, pint of hot stock and warm cream. Cook over low heat, stirring with whisk. When smooth and well combined, add remaining ingredients. Yields 2 quarts.