It sounds better in French and tastes delicious at midnight.....

Last night, Culinary Arts Level One Day Eight. Potage Saint-Germain aux Croutons.

I'll write a story of the evening (my first exam, my missing teammate, and my poor right pointer finger) tomorrow. Today I want to share a photo of a bit of paradise -- a midnight meeting with my delicious, velvety potage and a fresh baguette from some other students.

En Anglais: Split Pea Soup.... Delish!

Recipe (taken from The International Culinary Center Classic Culinary Arts Level 1 lesson book, and slightly abbreviated, adapted, and personalized)

Split Pea Soup with Croutons
Yields 4 Servings

Ingredients
Four the Soup:
12 oz split green peas
1.5 oz bacon, cut in lardons
2/3 oz butter
1.5 oz leeks, emincer (thinly sliced)
1.5 oz carrots, mirepoix (uniformly sized, shape doesn't matter -- for this recipe, pretty small)
3 oz g onions, mirepoix
4 lb water
1 garlic clove, smashed
Bouquet garni (wrap thyme, parsley stem, bayleaf, and peppercorns in a cheesecloth and tie with butchers twine)
2 oz heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

For the Croutons and Service:
3 oz bread, cut in 1 cm cubes
2 oz butter (don't skimp; it will drain off at the end)
Fresh chervil, for garnish

Procedure
For the Soup:
1. Carefully pick through the split peas to remove any stones or debris. Wash the peas in cold water and drain.
2. In a saucepan, sweat the lardons in a small amount of butter. The lardons should be soft like ham, not crisp like bacon.
3. Add the remaining butter and the leeks, carrots, and onions and sweat them until soft. Add some kosher salt here. The vegetables should not color. If they begin to color, turn down the heat and cover. Give them more time than you think they should get.
4. Add the peas, water, garlic, and bouquet garni.
5. Simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour, skimming and stirring often.
6. Remove the bouquet garni. Add the cream and return to boil.
7. Blend the soup in a blender or food processor and then push through a fine strainer.
8. Add more water if necessary.
9. Taste and adjust the seasoning. You'll need a bit of salt here.

For the Croutons and Service:
Now, if you're like me and don't have the patience for this at home, get a fresh baguette like I did. 
1. Add the butter to a frying pan and place over high heat. When hot, add the cubed bread and saute, moving and rotating the bread frequently for even browning. Add more butter to the pan as needed. When you can hear the croutons on the pan and they are golden brown, they are done.
2. Remove from pan. Drain on paper towels and reserve.

Serve the soup in hot bowls, garnished with chervil and with the croutons on the side.