Had this the other night. I could get addicted to it!
- Carbohydrate 6.52540731749333 g
- Cholesterol 58.319532219075 mg
- Fat 23.7116282840556 g
- Fiber 1.04790625799686 g
- Protein 4.75621490936908 g
- Saturated Fat 12.1654899986811 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (182g)
- Sodium 593.76954771401 mg
- Sugar 5.47750105949647 g
- Trans Fat 1.38904558488586 g
- Calories 249 calories
Step-by-step
- In a large skillet, saute the onion ans celery in butter until soft but not browned. Add the flour and stir well. Pour in 1 cup chicken broth and bring to a boil, stirring frequntly.
- Remove the mixture from heat an place ? cup at a time in a blender. Whirl until smooth. Return the blended mixture to the skillet and add the remaining chicken broth, the cream and the peanut butter. Whisk while heating gently. Do not allow the mixture to boil. Season to taste with salt & pepper.
- Serve hot or cold, garnished with chopped peanuts!
Unlike a thin, translucent broth-based vegetable soup, cream of peanut soup relies on an unctuous emulsion where suspended nut fats and dairy solids are bound together by a cooked flour roux. Standard starch thickening requires heat to gelatinize amylose molecules, but this soup introduces a massive secondary thickener in the form of smooth peanut butter, whose natural oils and proteins dramatically increase viscosity without needing prolonged simmering. While culinary traditions across West Africa, the American South, and the Caribbean have long utilized ground peanuts and legumes to enrich savory pots, the inclusion of light cream and butter aligns this specific preparation firmly with classical European velouté techniques. Mastering this dish requires close attention to thermodynamics, specifically because dairy proteins and peanut solids both burn easily if subjected to excessive direct heat.
The Chemistry of Emulsification and Heat Control
When incorporating smooth peanut butter into the warm broth base, vigorous whisking prevents the dense nut solids from clumping into an unyielding mass. Maintain the heat at a gentle level, ensuring the liquid never achieves a rolling boil, because high temperatures will denature the dairy proteins in the 250 ml of light cream, causing them to curdle and break the emulsion into an oily, grainy separation. Judge doneness entirely by visual and textural cues rather than relying on a kitchen thermometer, watching for the soup to take on a uniform, glossy sheen and a thickness that coats the back of a spoon cleanly without feeling heavy or pasty on the palate.
- If the soup appears too thick after adding the peanut butter, thin it gradually by whisking in warm broth two tablespoons at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
- Prevent a skin from forming on the surface during cooling by pressing a sheet of plastic wrap directly against the liquid before refrigerating for up to three days.
