cheddar cheese and broccoli soup

[torakris]

I suddenly have a craving for this soup, though I have never made it before and can't even actually recall ever eating it....

Thus I have no idea where to start.

I have cheddar and broccoli, any good recipes out there?

[Anna N]

I suddenly have a craving for this soup, though I have never made it before and can't even actually recall ever eating it....

Thus I have no idea where to start.

I have cheddar and broccoli, any good recipes out there?

←

Here's a link to a recipe but I can't endorse it since I have never tried it but at least the site is pretty reliable for recipes I have tried.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/104692

[dano1]

sweat out celery, onion, leek in butter. add broccoli(better yet seperate stalks, peel, and sweat out out first)add florets and chicken stock, season, bring to boil, simmer until done. Puree, pass, bring up and add dairy if wanted. Pass again if you want, whisk in shredded cheddar..

hth, danny

[Malawry]

I make it at work sometimes--it's very popular with my girls.

I start by combining some broccoli florets, celery and onion in a small pot. Cover lightly with vegetable stock (or chicken, but veg stock = my vegetarian girls can eat it) and add some salt. Bring to a boil, then cut back to a simmer and cook until tender. Puree and strain the mixture.

Make a thin bechamel in a large heavy pot, preferably with whole milk that's been infused with onion, clove and bay leaf. Pour in the puree. Stir, taste, adjust seasoning. Let the soup cool to 170 degrees or so to avoid the cheese splitting, and then whisk in grated sharp cheddar to taste. Serve immediately. You can top with blanched broccoli florets if you like.

If I'm going to keep the soup for a while, I don't add the cheese. It freezes fine without the cheese, just reheat gently and then whisk in the cheese when you're ready to serve. Since I serve soups for two days in a row, I divide the soup in half, chill half of it and whisk cheese into the other half. I find cheese is more likely to take offense and split if you abuse it, so save it for the last minute.

[torakris]

Thanks for the help!

I sort of did a combination of everyone's recipes

I sauteed onions, garlic, a small potato and the broccoli stems (I didn't have any celery and I LOVE garlic) then I added some chicken stock and let it simmer until tender. Then I pureed in with my immersion blender and added some cream (about 1/4 cup-- actually it was something called pantry cream with 30% fat, this is the lowest fat cream you can buy in this country). Finally I stirred in the grated cheddar and of course seasoned to taste.

This was really great! My picky eater, 8 year old Mia, had 4 servings!

One question, is the cheese supposed to melt?

It didn't clump together or anything but it sort of all accumulated at the bottom of the bowl so you had to stir it around a bit.

[Dana]

That probably wouldn't happen if you used some sort of processed cheese food (Velveeta). It seems to melt easier, but it won't give you the same flavor. Years ago, I made one with -gasp- cream of mushroom soup and velveeta. The kids loved it, but I can't remember the last time I made it.

[Toliver]

Thanks for the help!

One question, is the cheese supposed to melt?

It didn't clump together or anything but it sort of all accumulated at the bottom of the bowl so you had to stir it around a bit.

←

Yes, it should melt. Sounds like it either didn't get hot enough to melt (so it dissolves into the soup) or perhaps it got too hot and broke and that's what settled to the bottom.

Hmmm....

edited to trim verbosity

Edited January 6, 2005 by Toliver (log)

[torakris]

I think it wasn't hot enough then....

I let it cool just a bit before pureeing and then I added the refrigerator cold cream and then the cheese. I had read somewhere to remove it from the heat before adding the cheese.

[Cusina]

I find some cheeses just don't melt right. My mom claims it's something to do with the enzymes they use... who knows. If you can, try a European cheddar next time. Somehow, their cheeses are much better melters than most.

Make a basic fondue, heat broth or wine until small bubbles form, toss in flour dredged cheese, stirring until melted and smooth. Then add in your puree of vegetables and cream.

And while you are at it, make some of SLkinseys cauliflower soup. Whoo boy, to die for. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=55282&st=120#

For a simple meal, I just do the cauliflower base. Big hit around here.

[Toliver]

I think it wasn't hot enough then....

I let it cool just a bit before pureeing and then I added the refrigerator cold cream and then the cheese. I had read somewhere  to remove it from the heat before adding the cheese.

←

Take a look at Malawry's post (#4) earlier in this discussion. As long as the soup is no hotter than 170 degrees, the cheese shouldn't split/break. Too cool and it won't integrate into the soup, as you found out.

Thinking optimistically, let's say it's not a mistake...you just invented an new kind of soup. You know how French Onion soup has the melted cheese on top? Yours was just inverted. Sell the idea to Ferran Adria as deconstructed cheese and broccoli soup and make a buck or two.

Procedurally, I wonder if you could make a sort of white sauce with the cream, add the cheese to that to melt it, then put that into the soup. It's an extra step but would guarantee success.

[TheFoodTutor]

Procedurally, I wonder if you could make a sort of white sauce with the cream, add the cheese to that to melt it, then put that into the soup.  It's an extra step but would guarantee success.

←

This is what I do for cheese sauces, and it is, in essence, what makes Velveeta so fool-proof. If you make a bechamel and thoroughly incorporate the cheese into it, you lower the melting point of the cheese so that, if the sauce is melted, the cheese is melted.

Voila! As easy and cheesy as Ron Jeremy.