From the menu of -- 4th and Swift

A: 4th &Swift’s owner and chef Jay Swift sent us the recipe for his pea soup, one of the offerings of the restaurant’s seasonal menu. It’s only available during the short season for fresh English peas. You could make this soup with frozen English peas, but prepared with fresh peas, it’s the essence of spring.

The recipe couldn’t be simpler, but finding fresh English peas is a bit more of task. Your best bet will be to find someone who is bringing them to a local farmers market. I found bagged fresh peas at my local grocery store, but they were starchy, far from the sweet fresh flavor of a truly fresh English pea. Whatever your source, taste the peas raw. If they’re tender and sweet, the recipe below will work perfectly. If they’re starchier, you’ll want to cook the peas longer.

When this soup was on the menu last year it was garnished with black truffle oil. This year the garnishes are mint-infused olive oil, pea tendrils and a julienne of pickled carrot.

Is there a recipe from a metro Atlanta restaurant you'd like to make at home? Tell us and we'll try to get it. We'll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can't answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to fromthemenu@gmail.com and put "From the menu of” and the name of the restaurant in the subject line.

4th & Swift’s Chilled English Pea Soup

Hands on: 15 minutes

Total time: 15 minutes

Serves: 4

3 cups fresh English peas

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup vegetable stock or water

Salt and white pepper to taste.

In a large saucepan, bring 6 cups lightly salted water to a boil. Have a bowl of ice water ready nearby. Add peas to boiling water and cook for 10 seconds or until peas turn bright green. Immediately move peas to ice water and cool for 1 minute. Drain peas and place in jar of blender.

In a small saucepan, heat cream until it’s just ready to boil. Add to peas in blender along with vegetable stock. Puree on high speed until smooth. Add more vegetable stock or water if the soup is too thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish as desired and serve immediately.

Per serving: 246 calories (percent of calories from fat, 60), 8 grams protein, 17 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams fiber, 17 grams fat (10 grams saturated), 61 milligrams cholesterol, 61 milligrams sodium.