Unit 16: Soups

1. Unit 16: Soups A good start to a good meal American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

2. American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

3. What Are Soups? • They are a first course, an appetite stimulant, a comfort food, a vehicle to test skills, a tremendous profit maker, a healing food or restorative, and can be appetizers, the main course, or even a dessert American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

4. Types of Soup • Broths are usually clear, with simmered vegetables, pasta, meats, and grains • Purée style and cream soups are thickened with slurries or roux, puréed and/or creamed • Consommé • Bisques • Ethnic or regional American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

5. Mise en place should include ingredients and tools Tall pot, ladles, spoons, storage container Prepared and cut vegetables and garnish Fat or oil Seasoning ingredients and garnishes Preheat fat in the pot, sweat the principle vegetables Add the stock, simmer and skim Broth American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

6. At appropriate time, add the garnish, simmer Correct the seasoning and evaluate the quality using the tasting spoons Ladle a little out into a dish to visually evaluate it Reserve for service Broth (continued) American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

7. Construction of a Consommé • Blend the clarification ingredients and cold stock in the appropriate pot, add the onion • Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally • When the raft forms, cut back to a very slow simmer and break a small hole for escaping steam • Evaluate the consommé by ladling a little out through the hole • Cook longer if necessary American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

8. Construction of a Consommé (continued) • When it is finished, ladle the consommé out of the hole, or lift the raft carefully out of the pot • If you have a spigot, strain it through multiple layers of cheesecloth through a chinois • Carefully degrease, and correct the seasoning • Evaluate for color, body, flavor, and clarity American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

9. Purée Soups • Choose a thick-bottomed pot, and the standard cooking utensils, plus a blender and a flame diffuser if you have one • Basic preparation: • Render ground or diced bits of bacon or start with other types of fat • Sweat the aromatic vegetables • Add the main ingredient and the liquid American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

10. Purée soups (continued) • Choose a thick-bottomed pot, and the standard cooking utensils • Simmer, stirring frequently • Add the flavor enhancers • Cook until all the ingredients are tender • Remove the sachet if you have added one • Purée with a blender, correct the seasoning, and evaluate the quality American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

11. Puréeing • Three methods • Use a potato masher or the back of a spoon • Use an immersion blender • Strain out some of the ingredients, return them to the pot, simmer until slightly thickened • Correct the seasoning and evaluate the quality American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

12. Cream Soups • It can be as simple as adding cream to a puréed soup • You can start with a béchamel or a velouté • Equipment is the same as for a purée soup and the technique is very similar American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

13. The Singé Method • Sweat the aromatics and main ingredients in fat • Add the liquid base (velouté, béchamel or stock) • Stir and skim • Purée the solid ingredients • Strain and either reserve and chill, or add the cream and serve • The cream should be hot when adding • Evaluate the quality American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

14. American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

15. Bisques • Traditionally from shellfish • Name is derived from traditional thickening agent, dry bread, called biscuits in French • Use the same technique as making a cream soup • Thickened also with rice flour, roux, slurry American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

16. Sweat the aromatics Add the shells and cook to a deep color Add the stock Simmer and stir to avoid scorching Add remaining ingredients Cook until flavorful Remove sachet Purée the bisque, including shells Strain Add the finishing cream garnish, correct the seasoning and thickness Evaluate the quality Procedure for Bisque American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

17. Check the stock by heating a small amount before you start Add flavoring ingredients in staggered amounts, according to cooking requirements Stir from time to time Maintain even heat throughout Cook until they develop good flavor; taste frequently Do not over cook (when some soups cook too long they loose freshness) General Guidelines for Cooking and Serving Soups American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.

18. Reheat to 165°F, minimally Reheat cream and pureed so they will not scorch Hold clear at 180°F (82°C), thick, slightly lower Serve in heated dishes Always correct the seasoning and evaluate before service Garnish at the last minute for banquets, or each time the soup is served General Guidelines for Cooking and Serving Soups (continued) American Culinary Federation: Culinary Fundamentals.