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Stir the reserved beans, salt, and pepper into the soup; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring almost constantly. Cook for 5 minutes to thicken slightly.

Whisk the egg yolks in a small bowl. Whisking constantly, add 1 cup soup to the yolks in a thin, steady stream. Once smooth, whisk this mixture into the pot until smooth; then whisk in the lemon juice, cover, and set off the heat for 5 minutes. Do not let the soup boil once the egg yolks have been added to it. For garnish, grate a little nutmeg over each serving.

Variations: Substitute olive oil for the butter; omit the nutmeg and drizzle some extra virgin olive oil over each serving as garnish.

Add ½ to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes with the lemon zest.

Add 1 medium turnip, peeled and diced, or 2 medium parsnips, peeled and thinly sliced, with the leeks.

Reduce the broth to 5 cups; add 1 cup dry white wine with the remaining broth.

For a little crunch, float Croutons in the soup for garnish or add 2 additional celery ribs, thinly sliced, to the soup once the puree is back in the pot.

For a quicker version, cut the broth to 5 cups and use 4 cups canned white beans, drained and rinsed, adding them in step 3; simmer for only 20 minutes.

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Broth in Soups

These recipes use a range of broths: chicken, vegetable, beef, and even fish. You can substitute vegetable broth, say, for chicken broth in a recipe, but you will end up with a lighter soup. In some cases—say, Chilled Tomato Soup with Cucumber-Apple Salsa—you might also run a taste competition between the tomatoes and the vegetables in the broth. In many cases, substitute beef broth for a heartier soup, a better fit for a winter afternoon. For the best taste, make your own stock.

If you use canned or packaged broths, buy a few varieties, do a test, and decide which is best. No amount of fresh ingredients will overcome the taste of insipid broth. You want a rich taste—not overpowering, watery, dull, or sharp.

Also, we recommend using reduced-sodium or even no-sodium canned broth. You’ll be better able to control the saltiness of the final dish—and to create a soup to your taste.

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Hearty Soups

These soups cross the line from first courses into main courses. Of course, you can still offer them as starters but serve smaller portions. All include some form of protein, even if it be cheese or eggs.

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Classic Chicken Soup

Ask a hundred grandmothers how to make chicken soup and you’ll get a hundred recipes that all come down to this process for extracting the most flavor out of the chicken. Makes 6 servings

One 1½-pound whole bone-in chicken breast

2 pounds bony chicken parts (wings, backs, necks, feet, or legs)

2 medium onions, quartered

12 cups (3 quarts) water

4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces

4 celery ribs, cut into 4-inch pieces

1 medium parsnip, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces

4 whole garlic cloves, peeled

¼ cup roughly chopped dill fronds

1½ teaspoons salt, plus more as needed

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

1 bay leaf

Place all the chicken and onions in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Pour in the water and set the pot over high heat. Bring to a full simmer; cook for 5 minutes.

Use a large spoon to skim any foam or scum off the top of the soup. Add the carrots, celery, parsnip, garlic, dill, salt, peppercorns, and bay leaf. Reduce the heat to low and cook, uncovered, for 25 minutes.

If necessary, skim the soup a second time. Remove the chicken breast and half the carrots from the pot. Cover the pot, reduce the heat even more, and simmer very slowly over very low heat for 1½ hours.

Meanwhile, when the chicken breast is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and take the meat off the bone; chop the meat into bite-sized pieces. Thinly slice the carrots. Place both in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.

Set a large, fine-mesh sieve, chinois, or strainer over a large bowl in the sink. Ladle the soup into the sieve (or other device), straining it into the bowl and