Broccoli and Cheese Soup with Croutons
This is the best recipe I've come across. It is inspired by Emeril Lagasse's recipe. I add more cheese, and don't puree it completely, so there are nice bits of broccoli. I've made it twice, and it's becoming a staple. I've made it with onions and leeks, and I think the leeks taste better, being more mellow.
This is the best recipe I've come across. It is inspired by Emeril Lagasse's recipe. I add more cheese, and don't puree it completely, so there are nice bits of broccoli. I've made it twice, and it's becoming a staple. I've made it with onions and leeks, and I think the leeks taste better, being more mellow.
- 0.5 cup heavy cream
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter plus 2 tbl cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 medium yellow onion or sliced leeks (white parts only) washed
- 0.5 tsp. salt
- 0.25 tsp. pepper corns crushed
- 1 tsp. nutmeg
- 3 tsp. dried thyme leaves
- 3 tsp flour
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth (swanson is good)
- 1 package frozen chopped broccoli defrosted
- 1 8-oz package shredded cheddar cheese (mixed cheese (2 cups)
- croutons for garnish
- Carbohydrate 8.07040812552881 g
- Cholesterol 102.811250025966 mg
- Fat 33.5800037570128 g
- Fiber 1.08805626058579 g
- Protein 16.4616418753885 g
- Saturated Fat 21.0447272543654 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (292g)
- Sodium 1059.0367500072 mg
- Sugar 6.98235186494302 g
- Trans Fat 2.23768575036164 g
- Calories 395 calories
Step-by-step
- In a medium pot, melt the 3 tablespoons butter over over medium-high heat. Add the onions, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook, stirring, until opaque, 4 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme, stirring until fragrant, for 20 seconds. Add the flour and cook, stirring until flour is absorbed, try not to burn the flour. You can add a smidgen more butter when the flour gets real brown, if needed. Slowly add the chicken stock, whisking constantly, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes. Add the broccoli and cook, stirring, until tender, about 10 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat and puree with a hand-held immersion blender until loved. I like chunky soup, so I blend on low for 3 minutes. If you like a very creamy soup, blend on high for 5 minutes.
- Add the cream and bring to a bare simmer to heat through. Add most of the cheese, reserving an eighth for garnish, and cook over low heat, stirring until melted. Add the 2 tablespoons cold butter, stirring to blend.
- Remove from the heat and ladle into bowls. Sprinkle croutons over the top of the soup and serve immediately.
Adding flour directly to dry aromatics without enough fat creates burnt clumps that ruin the base of any soup. Proper roux control requires cooking the flour just until the raw grain smell dissipates, usually within one minute, while maintaining medium-low heat to prevent scorching. Leeks make a milder substitute for yellow onions, though white parts must be washed thoroughly in a bowl of cold water to remove grit trapped between the layers.
- Whisk chicken stock into the flour mixture in a slow, steady stream to prevent lumps from forming.
- Simmer the defrosted broccoli for ten minutes so the cell walls soften completely before blending.
- Pulse with an immersion blender on low speed for three minutes if you prefer visible florets rather than a completely smooth puree.
- Stir in cold butter at the very end off the heat to give the broth a glossy finish without breaking the emulsion.
Shred blocks of cheddar by hand rather than using pre-bagged varieties coated in anti-caking cellulose, which prevents smooth melting. Heavy cream should only reach a bare simmer once added; boiling dairy at high heat causes proteins to curdle and ruins the texture.
