Tips on Making Creamy Soups
Here are tips for making creamy soups:
When a soup recipe calls for heavy whipping cream, do not substitute light whipping cream, half-and-half, milk, yogurt or sour cream, because they will curdle. It's OK to omit the heavy whipping cream, however, because it is not essential. However, use a premium soup base or homemade stock to heighten the flavor, or look for a recipe that has been adjusted to use lower-fat dairy products.
To thicken and add a creamy consistency to soup without adding cream, puree some of it and stir it back into the soup pot. If you are using a food processor, transfer only the solid ingredients into the work bowl. Or, use a handheld immersion blender and puree the soup right in the pot.
Extra thickening can be achieved by pureeing some of the soup's liquid with a small amount of cooked rice or potatoes, then adding it back into the soup. For creamy vegetable soups, add instant mashed potato flakes a tablespoon at a time. Stir, then wait a few minutes before adding more.
Bread can be a thickener: Puree some of the soup in a blender with crustless plain bread cubes -- about 1/3 cup bread cubes for 2 cups broth. If you have fresh bread crumbs, stir them right into the soup and cook until thickened. Start with 1/4 cup bread crumbs to 2 cups broth.
To prevent a gummy texture, avoid pureeing potato soup and other soups containing a large amount of starch. Mash the potatoes with a hand-held masher or pass through a food mill.
If adding yogurt or sour cream to a hot soup, use low heat only. Do not raise the temperature beyond simmering. If using sour cream, bring it to room temperature and add it at the very end of the cooking time. Or, place the sour cream in a small bowl, then stir in some of the hot soup, and return the mixture to the pot.
If a milk-based soup has curdled, strain it through a sieve or whirl briefly in a food processor.
You can achieve a creamy consistency and texture by garnishing a soup with a dollop of crème fraîche, sour cream or yogurt at serving time. Diners can stir the dairy product into the soup at the table without fear of curdling.
Sources: "Brilliant Food Tips and Cooking Tricks" (Rodale Inc., $29.95) by David Joachim; "How to Peel a Peach" (John Wiley & Sons Inc., $29.95) by Perla Meyers.
When a soup recipe calls for heavy whipping cream, do not substitute light whipping cream, half-and-half, milk, yogurt or sour cream, because they will curdle. It's OK to omit the heavy whipping cream, however, because it is not essential. However, use a premium soup base or homemade stock to heighten the flavor, or look for a recipe that has been adjusted to use lower-fat dairy products.
To thicken and add a creamy consistency to soup without adding cream, puree some of it and stir it back into the soup pot. If you are using a food processor, transfer only the solid ingredients into the work bowl. Or, use a handheld immersion blender and puree the soup right in the pot.
Extra thickening can be achieved by pureeing some of the soup's liquid with a small amount of cooked rice or potatoes, then adding it back into the soup. For creamy vegetable soups, add instant mashed potato flakes a tablespoon at a time. Stir, then wait a few minutes before adding more.
Bread can be a thickener: Puree some of the soup in a blender with crustless plain bread cubes -- about 1/3 cup bread cubes for 2 cups broth. If you have fresh bread crumbs, stir them right into the soup and cook until thickened. Start with 1/4 cup bread crumbs to 2 cups broth.
To prevent a gummy texture, avoid pureeing potato soup and other soups containing a large amount of starch. Mash the potatoes with a hand-held masher or pass through a food mill.
If adding yogurt or sour cream to a hot soup, use low heat only. Do not raise the temperature beyond simmering. If using sour cream, bring it to room temperature and add it at the very end of the cooking time. Or, place the sour cream in a small bowl, then stir in some of the hot soup, and return the mixture to the pot.
If a milk-based soup has curdled, strain it through a sieve or whirl briefly in a food processor.
You can achieve a creamy consistency and texture by garnishing a soup with a dollop of crème fraîche, sour cream or yogurt at serving time. Diners can stir the dairy product into the soup at the table without fear of curdling.
Sources: "Brilliant Food Tips and Cooking Tricks" (Rodale Inc., $29.95) by David Joachim; "How to Peel a Peach" (John Wiley & Sons Inc., $29.95) by Perla Meyers.
posted by Blu | 8:03 PM
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