DonnyG, I really like this answer!! . . . . Give me a recipe and I'll eat tonight; teach me how to think like a great cook, and I'll eat for the rest of my life. Your responses like this one are required reading in my household, i.e., I cut and paste the link and forward them to my sons (who are learning, with interest and enjoyment, how to cook) with "Read and Save DonnyG's response" in the subject line. We're fortunate that you are so generous in sharing your knowledge and experience with us. ;o)
gadgetpolly- Were you looking for a recipe or did you want to know how to make cream soups by theory? Once you have learned by theory you will no longer need a recipe ever again. So from a classical french theory cream soups start by first making a bechamel or a veloute. A bechamel is milk thickend with roux and a veloute is stock thickened with a roux and both are finished with cream. This is your "base". In modern times alot of people go with the bechamel i'm assuming because it's less time consuming. I prefer a veloute for the richer flavor. Anything you add after that is your garnish or flavoring agent. In your case the garnish (pieces floating in the soup) would be broccoli and or Cauliflower. And your flavoring agents would also be the broccoli, caulifower and stilton. Your flavoring agents are to be pure'ed into the base. The next step would be finishing in this case it would be cream and seasonings. Your garnish is to be added last.
So research bechamel and veloute, pure'ed soups and cream soup and finishing soups and sauces. Once you learn this you will never need a recipe. As far as amounts start looking at recipe's ratio's. How much liquid to how much veg or flavoring agents. For your cream of broccoli off the top of my head I know that i'm going to use 3 qts of liquid to 4lbs of broccoli or cualiflower for a gallon of soup. Sounds like alot of broccoli but put it in these terms. Your average head of cauliflower wieghs anywhere from 2-3 lbs. And once it's cooked through and pure'ed it's not that much. Then you will need a lb for garnish for this ratio. You don't have to commit this all to memory you can keep notes. But once you learn this you will be able to look at a recipe and know if it is going to work or not. The bad thing about following recipe's is that you don't know if they are good or bad until you try them so if your going to go through trial and error you might as well spend the time learning thoery rather than wasting time looking for a good recipe. Good luck!
GadgetCook says: Ok these are the ingrediants that I use and tastes great on a winters day!
(This will make enough for 2 people)
Ingredients:
50g of butter
2 large onions
200g of fresh trimmed brocoli florets
1 clove of garlic
salt
nutmeg
sugar
About half a teaspoon of each
250ml of chicken or veg stock
3 big table spoons of double cream - go and treat yourself.
50g chopped blue stilton
1. finely chop your onions and fry in the butter with the garlic
2. sesaon with salt and pepper and nutmeg
3. Once browned, add the onions with the stock and brocoli to a large sauce pan and bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until the brocoli is eldente.
4. Transfer to a food processor or you can blend directly in the saucepan until you get a smooth texture.
5. Transfer back to the pan and heat gently, add the stilton - leaving some aside for garnish, and the double cream. Again leave some aside to serve.
6. When ready, serve with hot crusty bread.
Ok these are the ingrediants that I use and tastes great on a winters day!
(This will make enough for 2 people)
Ingredients:
50g of butter
2 large onions
200g of fresh trimmed brocoli florets
1 clove of garlic
salt
nutmeg
sugar
About half a teaspoon of each
250ml of chicken or veg stock
3 big table spoons of double cream - go and treat yourself.
50g chopped blue stilton
1. finely chop your onions and fry in the butter with the garlic
2. sesaon with salt and pepper and nutmeg
3. Once browned, add the onions with the stock and brocoli to a large sauce pan and bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until the brocoli is eldente.
4. Transfer to a food processor or you can blend directly in the saucepan until you get a smooth texture.
5. Transfer back to the pan and heat gently, add the stilton - leaving some aside for garnish, and the double cream. Again leave some aside to serve.
6. When ready, serve with hot crusty bread.
5 Comments
So research bechamel and veloute, pure'ed soups and cream soup and finishing soups and sauces. Once you learn this you will never need a recipe. As far as amounts start looking at recipe's ratio's. How much liquid to how much veg or flavoring agents. For your cream of broccoli off the top of my head I know that i'm going to use 3 qts of liquid to 4lbs of broccoli or cualiflower for a gallon of soup. Sounds like alot of broccoli but put it in these terms. Your average head of cauliflower wieghs anywhere from 2-3 lbs. And once it's cooked through and pure'ed it's not that much. Then you will need a lb for garnish for this ratio. You don't have to commit this all to memory you can keep notes. But once you learn this you will be able to look at a recipe and know if it is going to work or not. The bad thing about following recipe's is that you don't know if they are good or bad until you try them so if your going to go through trial and error you might as well spend the time learning thoery rather than wasting time looking for a good recipe. Good luck!
(This will make enough for 2 people)
Ingredients:
50g of butter
2 large onions
200g of fresh trimmed brocoli florets
1 clove of garlic
salt
nutmeg
sugar
About half a teaspoon of each
250ml of chicken or veg stock
3 big table spoons of double cream - go and treat yourself.
50g chopped blue stilton
1. finely chop your onions and fry in the butter with the garlic
2. sesaon with salt and pepper and nutmeg
3. Once browned, add the onions with the stock and brocoli to a large sauce pan and bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until the brocoli is eldente.
4. Transfer to a food processor or you can blend directly in the saucepan until you get a smooth texture.
5. Transfer back to the pan and heat gently, add the stilton - leaving some aside for garnish, and the double cream. Again leave some aside to serve.
6. When ready, serve with hot crusty bread.
(This will make enough for 2 people)
Ingredients:
50g of butter
2 large onions
200g of fresh trimmed brocoli florets
1 clove of garlic
salt
nutmeg
sugar
About half a teaspoon of each
250ml of chicken or veg stock
3 big table spoons of double cream - go and treat yourself.
50g chopped blue stilton
1. finely chop your onions and fry in the butter with the garlic
2. sesaon with salt and pepper and nutmeg
3. Once browned, add the onions with the stock and brocoli to a large sauce pan and bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until the brocoli is eldente.
4. Transfer to a food processor or you can blend directly in the saucepan until you get a smooth texture.
5. Transfer back to the pan and heat gently, add the stilton - leaving some aside for garnish, and the double cream. Again leave some aside to serve.
6. When ready, serve with hot crusty bread.