Soup


The word soup comes from the word “sop”, as in to use a piece of bread to soak up the liquid in a soup.

Soup is a food that is predominately liquid.  Soup is typically made by boiling meat, fish, or vegetables, etc., in stock or water and served hot. Some soups are served cool or cold.

In classical French cuisine, soups are classified into two main groups, clear soups or le potage clairs and thick soups or le potage liès. Clear soups are stock-based soups with a thin, watery consistency. Clear soups include broths or bouillon and consommés. Many traditional East Asian soups are typically broths, clear soups, or starch thickened soups.

Thick soups are classified depending upon how the soup is thickened.  Purées are vegetable soups thickened with a puréed vegetables or an added starch. Bisques are made from puréed shellfish or vegetables thickened with cream. Cream soups may be thickened with béchamel or a velouté thickened with eggs, butter, and cream. Other ingredients commonly used to thicken soups and broths include egg, rice, lentils, flour, and grains; many popular soups also include carrots and potatoes.

Soups are similar to stews, and in some cases there may not be a clear distinction between the two; however, soups generally have more liquid than stews.

Clear Soups

Clear soups are broth-based though they may be started with a stock.  The stock is fortified with additional meat, flavorings and seasonings, thereby making it a broth.  The quality of a clear soup resides in the broth, it must be flavorful and mostly clear.

Broths

A broth is a flavorful liquid made by simmering meat, poultry, seafood, or vegetables, along with seasonings in water or a stock. Broths can be served as a finished product or used in a broth-based soup or consommé.

Tougher cuts of meat or poultry are typically used for full-flavored broths.  As with stocks, a cleaner and clearer broth can be made by preventing the broth from boiling and skimming the surface of an impurities that precipitate out.  Once the broth has finished cooking, it should be carefully decanted so as stir up an particles that may cloud the broth.

Mirepoix used should be cut to a size consistent with the needed cooking time.  Cut the mirepoix into larger pieces for longer cooking times and smaller pieces for shorter times. Ideally, the mirepoix is cooked, but not overcooked.

A can of ground cinnamon is shown.Consommés

A consommé is an a refined broth, rich in flavor and very clear.  Though the clearmeat used in the clarification process add some flavor to a consommé, it is the quality of the broth that defines the quality of a consommé.

Clearmeat is a mixture of lean ground meat (poultry or fish), mirepoix, egg whites and an acid such as a tomato product (for beef or chicken), lemon juice or white wine (for fish.) Cold clearmeat (32˚to 35˚F) is mixed into to a cold broth, along with an onion brûlé and the mixture is brought to a bare simmer over medium heat.  As the broth warms, the proteins in the clearmeat begin to coagulate and form a raft that floats to the top of broth. (The consommé is not stirred after the raft has formed.)  The broth filters through the raft removing dissolved solids that cloud the broth.  The meat and mirepoix in the clearmeat also provide some additional flavor.

After simmering for 1-2 hours, the consommé is gently decanted from the pot and strained through several layers of cheesecloth to remove any additional particles.  Any fat on the surface of the consommé is removed.  The consommé is adjusted for seasoning, garnished and served.

Keys to making a Classic Consommé

  • Start with a great broth.  Make the broth flavorful and clear. Don’t depend on the clearmeat to make up for lack of flavor in the broth.
  • Use lean meat in the clearmeat.
  • Cut the mirepoix into a julienne.  Sticks hold the raft together better than a dice.
  • Start with ice cold broth and ice cold clearmeat.
  • The onion brûlé is used to add an intense roasted flavor and dark color to a consommé.
  • Mix in the clearmeat to the broth and bring to a bare simmer over medium-high heat.
  • Once the raft begins to form, stop stirring.
  • Make a vent or “chimney” in the raft to allow steam to escape and keep from breaking the raft apart.
  • Do not allow the consommé to boil.
  • Occasionally baste the raft with some broth to keep it from drying out and breaking apart.
  • Carefully decant the consommé while not disturbing the raft.
  • Strain the consommé through a chinois lined with several layers of moist cheesecloth.
  • Chill the consommé to allow any fat to solidify and be easily removed.

If needed, a consommé can undergo a second clarification with a mixture of lightly beaten egg whites, finely minced mirepoix, and either a tomato purée or lemon juice.  For a gallon of consommé, use 4 egg whites, 1/4 cup of mirepoix, 1 tablespoon tomato purée or 2 teaspoons of lemon juice.  Repeat the clarification process as in the first clarification.

Thick Soups

There are two types of thick soups, cream soups and purée soups.  Cream soups are generally thickened by an added starch like a roux. Purée soups are thickened by puréeing all the ingredients in a soup to the consistency desired.  Purée soups are usually thicker and coarser than cream soups and generally not strained.  Rice or potatoes are often added to puréed soups added thickness, better texture and body.

Cream Soups

Cream soups describe their consistency and may not contain any cream.  When cream is used, yogurt and sour cream may be substituted. Cream soups are generally thickened with roux-thickened stock or velouté or a béchamel, a roux-thickened milk or cream.  The main ingredient, for example broccoli for a cream of broccoli soup, is sweated in fat and mirepoix until softened. Then the velouté or béchamel is added and the broccoli is simmered until tender.  The soup is blended to the desired consistency and strained, if desired.  The soup is returned to a simmer, the consistency adjusted, seasoned to taste, and finished with a bit of cream or milk.  Alternatively, the one-pot method would sweat the main ingredient and mirepoix in a fat and the flour would be added and briefly cooked.  Stock, broth, milk, or cream would then be added, essentially making a velouté or béchamel as needed.  The ingredients are simmered until tender, puréed and finished as above.

Purée Soups

Purée soups are made by cooking vegetables or legumes such lentils, beans, or split peas in a broth until tender and then puréeing the soup until the desired consistency is achieved. In some cases, some of the main ingredient is reserved and added back into the puréed soup when a coarser texture is desired.  If the purée soup is too thin, it may be thickened by the addition of a roux, beurre manié, or cornstarch slurry.  If the purée soup to become too thick, as happens with a soup that is held for service or stored, it may be thinned with the addition of a little hot water, stock, broth, milk or cream.

Bisques

A bisque is a cream soup classically from shellfish and thickened with rice.  Today, a bisque may refer to almost any cream-style soup thickened with a roux or cream.

Chowders

A chowder is classically a rustic and hearty one-pot soup that includes large chunks of ingredients, commonly potatoes.  A pork product such as salt pork or bacon is also commonly used.

Cold Soups

Cold soups are either prepared with cold ingredients and served chilled, like gazpacho or prepared as hot soup and the chilled to service temperature like a vichyssoise.

Serving Soups

  • Make in advance.  Soups develop better flavor over time.
  • Make small batches so ingredients don’t overcook with successive rehearings.
  • Ingredients like tender vegetables, starches and pasta are best cooked separately and portioned into each bowl with the broth at service.  This keeps these ingredients from over-cooking and breaking down.
  • Clear soups lessen the risk scorching when reheated, but can still scorch.
  • Consommés should have no traces of fat on the surface.
  • Thick soups are held more as a base, then thinned with hot milk or cream or a thin béchamel
  • Check seasoning before service.
  • Clear soups should be served at 210ËšF.
  • Cream soups should be served at 190ËšF-200ËšF.
  • Cold soups should be served at 41ËšF or less.