The most basic of all sauces to make is the White Sauce, also known in French as Béchamel. One will be amazed at just how handy and versatile this simple sauce can be to make a variety of recipes, and that would include making cream soups. Most cream soups, as the name implies uses cream, but for those who are diet conscious, is not really necessary to use. One can still accomplish that creamy texture for creamed soups by using milk, whether whole, or even the 2%, 1% or fat free versions of milk. The trick to making creamed soups, is by the thickness of the white sauce itself. There are three different versions of the basic white sauce recipe, but I use the medium version when making cream soups.
Three of my favorite cream soups to make are cream of celery, cream of potato, and cream of mushroom. All three add a special touch as an appetizer for any meal, including holiday meals. When planning using any of these soups for a holiday meal, whether Thanksgiving or Christmas, any of these soups can be made the day ahead of the holiday itself, which can be a real time saver, then all one has to do is reheat to serve on the day of the holiday itself.
The first soup, Cream of Celery soup is my preferred soup to serve at Thanksgiving time.
Cream Of Celery Soup
Ingredients:
5 Stalks of Celery, cut in quarter sections each
2 Stalks of Celery, diced
1 Large onion, sliced
1 Tablespoon Parsley
White Sauce
Additional salt and pepper to taste
In a medium sized stockpot, boil a three cups of water and add the 5 stalks of celery and onion, and cook until done. In a smaller pot, boil about 1 to 1½ cups of water and add the 2 stalks of diced celery and cook until done. Using a fairly large sized stainless steel bowl, pour both liquid and celery quartered sections in a colander and reserve the liquid, let cool. Place celery quarters and onion into a separate bowl. Then pour the liquid and diced celery in colander and into the another stainless steel bowl, then place diced celery and onions into another separate bowl and let cool.
I actually just cook up the quartered sections and diced celery in the same stockpot and then drain the liquid into a bowl using a colander and simply separating the the quartered and diced celery by hand. Experiment to see which is easier. Take the quartered celery and onion and approximately 1 cup of the reserved liquid and place into a blender to purée. Set aside.
In the stockpot begin making the white sauce.
Basic Medium White Sauce:
1 cup milk
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour
¼ Teaspoon salt
¹⁄8 Teaspoon pepper
Slowly melt butter in the stockpot so as to not burn, then add flour, and using a whisk, blend butter and flour to a pasty consistency. Gradually add milk, continually whisking and blending until the lumpiness is gone.
Now add the puréed celery slowly, using a whisk to blend in. The texture of the soup should be fairly thick like a paste. Then add as much of the rest of the reserved celery liquid that you want, according to how thick you want the soup. Then add the diced celery to the soup, parsley and salt and pepper to taste and blend in and cook soup until just bubbling.
Servings: Approximately 4
Cream of Potato Soup:
Ingredients:
3 or 4 Large Potatoes
1 Onion, sliced
3 or 4 cups milk
1 Tablespoon Parsley
White Sauce
Additional salt and pepper to Taste
Paprika as a garnish
In large stockpot, boil potatoes and onions in a quart of water until done. Drain potatoes and onions in a colander and let cool a bit. Then place about half of the potatoes and onions in blender adding about ½ cup of milk, and purée. Spoon out puréed potatoes in a stainless steel bowl and set aside. Purée the remaining potatoes with another ½ cup of milk and once done add to the first batch of puréed potatoes, set aside.
In stockpot, make the white sauce.
Basic Medium White Sauce:
1 cup milk
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour
¼ Teaspoon salt
¹⁄8 Teaspoon pepper
Slowly melt butter in the stockpot so as to not burn, then add flour, and using a whisk, blend butter and flour to a pasty consistency. Gradually add milk, continually whisking and blending until the lumpiness is gone.
Now add the puréed potatoes slowly, using a whisk to blend in. Once again the texture of the soup should be fairly thick like a paste as it was in the cream of celery soup recipe. Then slowly add the remaining three cups of milk. Add the parsley and salt and pepper to taste and blend in and cook soup until just bubbling. Just before serving, add a sprinkling of the paprika as a garnish.
Vichysoise (or Cold Cream of Potato Soup)
As an alternative, instead of adding three cups of milk…add only 2½ cups milk, then add ½ cup of either sherry or a dry white wine like Chablis…this is the makings of the French classic Vichysoise and is served cold instead of hot.
Servings: Approximately 4
Cream Of Mushroom Soup
Ingredients:
1 pound of mushrooms
2 Tablespoons of butter
1 Large Onion, slice
3 to 4 cups chicken stock (either homemade or can use Campbell’s or Swanson’s chicken broth)
White Sauce
1 tablespoon additional flour
1 Tablespoon Parsley
Additional salt and pepper to taste
Wash off mushrooms and discard the stalks of mushrooms, then slice up mushrooms. In fairly large skillet, slowly sauté sliced mushroom and onion until done, turn off heat and set aside.. With a slotted spoon, remove about half of the mushroom and onion, and place in blender and add about ½ cup of chicken broth and purée. In stockpot make the White Sauce.
Basic Medium White Sauce:
1 cup milk
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour
¼ Teaspoon salt
¹⁄8 Teaspoon pepper
Slowly melt butter in the stockpot so as to not burn, then add flour, and using a whisk, blend butter and flour to a pasty consistency. Add the remaining sautéd mushrooms, onion and butter from the skillet into mixture, and blend…
Important: Due to the “extra” butter from the sautéed mushrooms, add an additional Tablespoon of flour and blend in with a wire whisk. Gradually add the one cup of milk, continually whisking and blending until the lumpiness is gone. Slowly add the remaining chicken broth, according to how thick you wish the soup. Add the puréed mushroom mixture and again blend in and cook until just bubbling. Salt and pepper to taste.
Servings: Approximately 4
Hint: The thickness or thinness of each soup is according to one’s preferences.
If any of these soups happen to turn out too thin for your liking and wish them thicker, simply add a bit of cornstarch to thicken them up again.
Bon Appétit!
