Cheese Soup?

Thank you to Child 2 (chronological, not preference) for the trip down memory lane when she asked me for the recipe for cheese soup. I don’t recall making cheese soup for the kids, but since two thirds of them remember it, I guess I must have.

When I moved to England in the late 1990’s I left behind in America a trend to use canned cheese soup as an ingredient in any number of casseroles for a quick weeknight meal or pot luck. I don’t know which came first – broccoli cheese soup or just the cheese soup. The variety of Something Cheese Soups or Something Cream Soups had become fairly overwhelming, to be honest, and required advanced alphabetical filing skills to find what one wanted in the canned soup section of the grocery.

I landed in England suddenly mom to three, and although I had the time to cook, finding foods they would all eat while satisfying my husband and myself was challenging. I couldn’t rely on American staples. I couldn’t do a quick internet search for suggestions. My cookbook selection was slim. I didn’t want to cook two completely different meals, but I did that a lot in the beginning.

I suspect that feeding them cheese soup was an experiment related to developing the Scalloped Potato recipe without the convenience of a famous name brand cheese soup (very thankful in retrospect!). It could have been an attempt to recreate something familiar from back home. It could have been an attempt to disguise the broccoli that only one of them would eat. (Joelyoson maintains that cheese is the gateway food to vegetables.) It certainly raised eyebrows among the British extended family, and there were more than a few clucks! (“Tch, cheese soup? Tch.”) Child 2, I’m very sorry to tell you that the cheese soup I served you could have been exactly the cheese sauce I made for the scalloped potatoes. In which case, you already have the recipe here.

This recipe might have been a childhood fave for the kids, but it didn’t make it into my usual repertoire, and it seems like I only served it a handful of times. Apparently that was enough to leave an impression! I also made the cheese sauce from the Scalloped Potatoes recipe as a topping for vegetables from time to time.

Years later, Child 3 discovered Panera Broccoli Cheese soup and asked me to make it. I found a copycat recipe and it was well received. The recipe I’m going to give you is a copycat Panera broccoli cheese soup, with suggestions for substitutions or additions. I change things up depending on what I have in the fridge and pantry and who I’m cooking for. I’m going to give instruction for the way I would make it in my kitchen, and a link to two really good recipes that inspired this recipe. Try it, make some notes about what went well and what didn’t, and make it your own recipe. Know that if you don’t have one item on hand, you can still make the recipe with some alterations to flavor. Create a new favorite!

A warning about canned soups. Out of curiosity, I checked out the soup aisle at my grocery this past weekend. Wow! Name Brand’s Broccoli Cheese Soup and Cheese Soup are still available (in that order left to right!). The flavor choices are much fewer, and there are a lot more products out there vying for the health food market. Don’t be fooled, please. Read the labels. A look at that canned cheese soup tells me there is 870 mg – a full 30% of the daily allowance for sodium in ONE half-cup serving. Folks, there are 4 servings (3,480 mg of sodium) in that can of soup concentrate. Soup is so easy to make at home from scratch. Leave all this crap at the supermarket. The canned version is made from dehydrated (which equals highly processed) butter and cream. Real, fresh butter and cream taste worlds better! It’s worth the effort! And besides – salt is cheap – this isn’t the best way to buy salt.

Think twice about cheese in recipes! I have seen recipes that call for a “loaf” of “processed cheese food, cubed”. This is not food! This is not cheese! (It doesn’t even taste good.) Pre-shredded cheese has non-food products added to prevent clumping. If you think about it, this same non clumping additive prevents it from melting into the lovely ooey gooey food we crave! Shred your own, or cut a block into small chunks that will easily melt. It’s worth the effort.

The two recipes I reviewed called for 4 cups of broccoli, about 1 large head, or 1/2 pound broccoli, florets only. We buy the whole broccoli or the crowns depending on price. I prefer to use the whole vegetable and not discriminate against the broccoli stems. The stems are full of flavor and nutrients. When we buy the whole broccoli head, if I don’t add the stems to soup, they go into the stockpot to make broth. This is completely Cook’s choice. Make the decision based on your texture preference, whether you intend to blend it, your mindset, and what’s in the fridge!

Panera Copy Cat calls for 2 cups of half and half (half milk, half cream) and 2 cups of chicken broth. I like to use 2 cups vegetable broth and 2 cups of 2% milk. Chicken broth and cream give a much more luxurious mouthfeel and increase the fat content of the soup. Cook’s choice? What’s in the fridge? I’m happy with the compromise I’ve made. Just know that there are good substitutions out there if you don’t have the ingredients on hand.

I prefer Ali’s cooking instructions at GimmeSomeOven’s Broccoli Cheese Soup recipe. I find this recipe a bit more practical and straightforward, and I like her suggestions for switching it up. Other websites also give some fantastic instruction on the virtues of experimenting with the cheese you have on hand. Try it!

I recommend putting a lid on the saucepan while the broccoli cooks. Mostly we read that we should set a pan at a particular heat setting on the stove, either covered or not. The truth is, we can use a lid on the saucepan and exercise a significantly greater amount of control over the boil by shifting how much of the pot is covered. Experiment with it for yourself, testing both the heat applied and the amount of lid coverage. I think you’ll find you have much greater control than you realize.

We have enjoyed this recipe both as-is and blended a little for a creamier texture. Both versions are enjoyable. As usual, do the best you can, make notes so that if you improve on it you can reproduce it – new family fave!

This recipe is fantastic next day or two. Cheese doesn’t freeze well, and tends to thaw with texture issues. I do still freeze servings of this soup to fill in when I need it in a busy week.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and that you find way to make it your family favorite. In moderation.

Ingredients

3-4 T butter or olive oil
1 small/medium white or yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced or crushed
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1/4 c all-purpose flour
2 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock
2 cups milk or your favorite milk substitute
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 8 ounce block of extra sharp cheddar cheese freshly grated or cut into small cubes
4 cups chopped broccoli florets and stems, about 1 large head (3/4 lbs.)
Salt and pepper to taste (white pepper?)
1/2 tsp smoked or regular paprika, optional and to taste
1/2 tsp dry mustard powder, optional and to taste
Pinch cayenne, optional

In a large saucepan heat 1 T butter or olive oil on medium to low heat. Add the onion and carrots and saute until translucent and beginning to brown.

Add garlic and cook until the garlic is fragrant but not browning, about 30 seconds.

Add 3T olive oil. When the oil is hot, add 3 1/2 T white flour and stir or gently whisk until the flour has been absorbed by the oil or butter. Cook 1 to 2 minutes longer so the flour has time to “cook”.

Add, a little at at time, 2 C vegetable broth and 2 C milk. This is the same basic instructions for making a roux, except that there are vegetables in the pan as well. Check out paragraph 3 and 4 in the basic cheese sauce recipe for roux making tips here.

Bring to a simmer, stirring regularly to prevent sticking and burning.

As the mixture comes up to the simmer, the sauce begins to thicken. The flour will burn or thicken on the bottom of the pan, so stir or whisk frequently Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in paprika, dry mustard powder, dijon mustard and cayenne pepper.

Add broccoli and put the lid on the saucepan. Simmer until the broccoli is almost done, about 10 minutes.

Add cheese, reserving some for garnish. Heat to a slow simmer until the cheese is melted and broccoli is tender, stirring frequently. Adjust for salt and pepper.

If you want the soup to be creamier, use a blender or immersion blender to puree to the desired consistency. It’s also great without blending. This soup freezes nicely for a quick meal another day.

We like to serve this soup with crackers or thick bread and a green salad.

Scalloped Potatoes

The first time I tasted scalloped potatoes was a recipe my Aunt Mary had given to my mother. It isn’t a food I grew up with. Mother made it for some special occasion, likely because it would be acceptable to the crowd and was an easy recipe and very amenable to taking to a potluck. I thought it would be a great dish to make in advance for dinner.

I tried making it a few times, but never enjoyed it as much as I did when mom had made Aunt Mary’s scalloped potatoes. When I tried to make it after I had moved to England, I couldn’t find one of the ingredients, so I decided to experiment. I began to come to terms with the idea I was going to have to make some things up to make a scalloped potato dish that I liked and the family liked and that I could replicate.

My first attempt at creating this on my own was fairly successful. The kids liked it and it was easy. If I remember correctly, I sliced the potatoes, seasoned it and added milk or cream and baked it. In my memory it was a flavorful creamy dish. The next time… well… I taught the kids about “but it tastes OK, right?”

I’m sure I tried to replicate that first success at least once more before I scrapped it and started over. Remember – cookbooks, no internet in those days, and mom was a long distance land line call across five time zones.

My goal was a creamy, saucy potato casserole that I could prepare in advance and bake while the after school chaos ensued. The time I had gotten away with just adding cream or milk to the potatoes could have been the variety of potato, I guess. Brits know more about potatoes than I knew could be known (maybe we’ll go there another day). I couldn’t get it to turn out right again, so I decided I should try making the sauce to go onto the potatoes like my mother taught me to make gravy. Equal parts fat (butter, oil, roast dripping) and flour, plus a liquid such as milk or broth and simmer to the consistency you want. Twenty years later, I learned this has a name in the food world: roux.

I’d love to tell you I had found the key. My mother wasn’t there to teach me the nuances of making roux. It’s not as simple as mixing the 3 ingredients, although I had seen her do it dozens of times so I had an idea how it should go.

It took some experimentation but I was onto something. I was able to make a creamy, tasty, easy potato casserole, prepare it in advance, even a day before, put it in the oven for an hour with little attention, and almost dinner! It still didn’t win over the family. Then I thought of cheese. At first, I sprinkled it on top. Then – then I thought of melting cheese into the roux to make a cheese sauce. (Mother would not have been on board for this part.) It turns out that a roux is the building block of many sauces and styles of sauces and there are tricks to getting the flavor and texture right.

This was the winner and the food I still serve when the kids come home at the end of a hard week just to unwind. It’s the recipe they most often phone home for when they can’t get home but need some comfort food.

I’ve found some fun ways to flavor boost for adult comfort food depending what I have in the pantry. When the kids aren’t home I like to layer white or yellow onion slices or sweet potatoes with the white potatoes, put whole fresh tomatoes in the corners of the baking dish, and add herbs and spices to the sauce. I love red onions, but the color leeches into the sauce and gives the dish an unappetizing grey tinge. I’ve also found some new twists on this favorite which I can share another time. In the meantime, experiment with it and find what you love best. Make it personal.

White potatoes are very nutritious, but the quantities consumed in the US and possibly the UK lead to a lot of illnesses that are new to my generation and Gens X Y and Z. This is especially true when we consider how we like potatoes best deep fried in saturated fat. This recipe serves 8 (in my house occasionally just 4 or less). Remember – this is one ounce of cheese per serving and there is nothing wrong with that. Cheese is nutritious, but it is also high in saturated fats – LDL – the bad ones.

Read the labels on your cheeses. Some of the commercial brands aren’t actually food. Cheddar cheese is a hard cheese and should not be soft or gooey at room temperature. The ingredients in real cheddar cheese include milk, cheese culture, salt and sometimes a natural coloring agent (annatto). I specify buying a block of cheese instead of shredded for a reason. Pre-shredded cheese is packaged with an anti-caking agent (not food – it’s made from wood pulp) and natamycin, an anti-molding agent used to extend shelf life. Synthetic additive surprise! Not my kind of surprise. Natamycin is also found in some commercial block cheese. Read those labels. Real cheese tastes better and has better texture.

I am not a huge fan of extra sharp cheddar cheese on its own, but I love the bold flavor it gives these potatoes. If you use sharp cheddar instead, the finished flavor will be milder but still very enjoyable.

I use a little bit of yellow mustard in the recipe to give it a tiny little tang. I know how some people feel about yellow mustard – I’m looking at you Child 3 (in order of age, not preference) – but you can’t taste it. Leave it out if you want. Try a different mustard if you want. I always peel the potatoes and have never tried this dish with the skins on – but give it a try if you want!

Last word before the actual recipe – thank you to Lucy, Child 1, who finally forced me to distill my “about this much”, or “it looks like this” into “use 1 cup of” language. We stole an hour out of her day while Grandchild 1 (again in chronological order) snoozed not too far away. If this recipe works for you today, thank Lucy.

Ingredients

4 T butter (not margarine)
4 T all purpose flour
2 C milk
pinch to 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
8 ounce block of extra sharp cheddar cheese sliced thin or shredded
1 tsp yellow mustard
6 large white potatoes (about 4.5 pounds)

I like to make the sauce first, then slice and assemble. If you’re a beginner cook, this is probably wise. If you aren’t, then I’m not talking to you and you know what to do.

Assemble the sauce ingredients before you begin. Melt the butter on medium low in a saucepan large enough to hold 2 -3 cups of sauce. When the butter is melted stir in the flour.

Stir this mixture for a minute on low so that the flour cooks. It shouldn’t brown too much – golden is fine, brown won’t hurt anything but it changes the color of the result. If you skip this step, the result has a distinct taste of flour. Taste a little bit of it as you go if you want.

Add the milk very gradually. When you first pour in some milk, it’s going to sizzle and steam – keep the temp below medium to minimize this. Pour in a little milk (less than 1/4 cup) and use a whisk to combine with the flour and butter mixture and work out any lumps before the next addition of milk. You should notice it turns into kind of a paste in the beginning. Add a little more milk and stir with a whisk, letting the mixture come back up to temperature. Continue until all the milk is incorporated. You should wind up with a rather thin white gravy. What happens if you do this step wrong? Lumps. The dish is still completely edible and tasty and the only way past it is through it.

Once all the milk is incorporated, gently bring the sauce to a slow simmer. You want it hot enough for some bubbles to come up – this thickens the sauce, but not hot enough to boil. Cheese and milk burn easily, so stir often. Add the red pepper flakes and mustard, if using.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Begin to add the cheese in small amounts. Stir until melted and add more cheese. Repeat until all the cheese is melted into the sauce. You should have a thick cheesy sauce now. If not, let it simmer gently for a minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and then add a little more. Because we aren’t seasoning the potatoes directly, the sauce needs to have the extra salt. Or, don’t add a little more, and season at the table.

Remove the sauce from the heat and try really hard not to eat the sauce before it gets to the potatoes.

Peel and thinly slice the potatoes into a 9 x 13 baking dish. How thin is not as important as how consistent. I like to pour some sauce over the potatoes when I’ve sliced about half of them. This prevents the raw potatoes turning brown in the air waiting for you to slice them all. From time to time you can use your fingers to sort of level out the potatoes, or you can gently shake the baking dish. Layer the rest of the potato slices in the dish, and pour over the remaining sauce. Use a spoon to smooth the sauce over the top of all the potatoes. The sauce might not completely cover the potatoes, and this is ok, but there should be at least a coating of sauce over the top. You could top with additional shredded cheese if you want.

Bake at 400 F for an hour, depending on the oven, the potato thickness, etc. The result should be a lightly browned beautiful cheesy side to dinner. If you’re concerned whether it’s done, a toothpick inserted in the middle should not detect any uncooked potato. I like to let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving so that the cheese solidifies a little.

Another dish that is always better the next day, I will sometimes freeze single serving portions to pull together a quick meal. I hope you enjoy it!