Okay, so I’ve been wanting to nail down a good cream soup base for ages. You know, something versatile that I can whip up and then turn into a bunch of different soups. I finally got around to experimenting, and I think I’ve got something pretty good.
Getting Started
First, I gathered all my ingredients. This is what I used:
- Butter (unsalted, because I like to control the saltiness)
- Onion (just a regular yellow onion, diced up)
- Garlic (minced, because who has time for chopping?)
- All-purpose flour (the cheap stuff works fine)
- Chicken broth (I used the low-sodium kind)
- Milk (whole milk, because we’re going for creamy here)
- Heavy cream (the good stuff!)
- Salt and pepper (to taste, obviously)
The Process
I started by melting a good chunk of butter in my biggest pot over medium heat. I’m talking like half a stick, maybe more. Don’t be shy with the butter!
Once the butter was all melted and bubbly, I threw in the diced onion and cooked it until it was soft and see-through. This took about 5 minutes, maybe a little longer. I just kept stirring it so it wouldn’t burn.
Next, I added the minced garlic and cooked that for about a minute, just until it was fragrant. You don’t want to burn the garlic, because burnt garlic is nasty.
Then came the flour. I sprinkled it over the onion and garlic and stirred like crazy to make a paste. This is called a roux, but I just think of it as the thing that makes the soup thick. I cooked this for another minute or two, just to get rid of that raw flour taste.
Slowly, I poured in the chicken broth, whisking constantly. This is important, because you don’t want any lumps. I kept whisking until it was all smooth and combined.
Once the broth was in, I brought the whole thing to a simmer. Then, I reduced the heat to low and let it simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. It started to thicken up nicely.
Finally, I stirred in the milk and heavy cream. I seasoned it with salt and pepper, tasting as I went. I like a lot of pepper in my cream soup.
The Result
I let the soup simmer for another 5 minutes or so, just to heat everything through. And that was it! A perfectly smooth, creamy soup base, ready to be turned into whatever I wanted. I ended up adding some cooked chicken and vegetables to make a creamy chicken and veggie soup, and it was delicious.
I think it works great, I will try some other ingredients next time.
