Unit 320Prepare, Cook and Finish

Complex Soups.

Revision of Level 2 Soups.

Basic Soups.

Preparation Of Soups.

• The making of a soup requires as much skill as any other area of kitchen work. Only ever use fresh ingredients as an insipid, badly seasoned soup without character is a recipe for disaster.

• For a meal with several courses soup will usually be served first, unless a cold surprise or canapé is offered which will be served before the soup.

Classification of Soups.

• Soup is a general term which is applied to every type, whether hot or cold, thick or thin.

• Many soups can also be served cold and consommé in particular is often served in its cold jellied form.

UNTHICKENED.

• Broth.

• Consommés.

• Bouillions.

• Chowders.

• Cold*.

THICKENED.

• Bisques.

• Potages.

• Velouté.

• Bisques.

• Brown roux based.

• Cold *.

Unthickened.

Broths & Bouillions.• Broths: A combination of various types

of vegetables which are cooked in a clear stock with the addition of cereal and a garnish of diced meat or poultry. E.g. Scotch Broth.

• Bouillons: Unclarified but clear stock served plain or with a garnish. E.g. Petite Marmite.

Consommé.• Is a clarified stock of beef, chicken or

combination of both.

• Into the clarification can be added tomatoes, pimentos, beetroot, etc, in order to accent one of these flavours.

• The garnishes are many and varied. Cheese straws, grated cheese, petits patés are also served under certain conditions.

• Bortsch is a duck and beef/beetroot flavoured consommé.

Thickened.

Puree Soups.• A purée soup consists of a base of pulse,

vegetables or potatoes or a combination of one or more.

• Vegetables with a high starch content will thicken themselves.

• Those with low starch content will require an additional thickening agent. EXAMPLE.

• For example, Purée Crecy (Puree of Carrot).

Potage.• A potage is a soup with a garnish of vegetables

which have been cut to a definite shape. It may also include as part of its garnish peas, beans, cereals and Italian pasta.

• It is made with a good quality white stock thickened with a liaison and finished with a garnish.

• Shredded, toasted bread and grated parmesan cheese (one or both) are usually served separately.

• For example Potage Germiny.

Crème.

• A cream soup consisting of a base of vegetables (legumes), poultry, veal or game.

• It is moistened with white stock (veal, poultry or game) but receives its thickening from béchamel or a base white roux.

• It is finished with cream and served with garnish, usually in keeping with its name.

• For example cream of asparagus soup, cream of onion soups.

Velouté.

• This type of soup is prepared on the same lines as a cream soup, except that it receives its thickening mostly from a velouté sauce or a base blonde roux with the flavour of poultry, veal, fish or game.

• It differs however in that it must be finished with a liaison of yolks and cream, which gives it the final thickening.

• For example, Velouté Agnus Sorel (Chicken & Mushroom).

Bisque.• This is a specialised soup always made with

shellfish (lobster, shrimps, crayfish, crawfish, crabs).

• Its thickening is derived from rice or riceflour and is moistened with fish or veal stock.

• It is finished with butter or a liason of pounded lobster eggs or butter. Brandy and cream are stirred in at the last moment, and the garnish is in keeping with its name.

• For example Bisque de Homards (Lobster Bisque).

Brown Roux Based.

• This is a thick passed soup made from a brown roux.

• They are garnished with meat and always served hot.

• E.g. Oxtail soup.

Chowders

• Fish soup made from clams. Usually written as ‘Clam Chowder’. Onions, green peppers, celery stalks, smoked bacon thickens with potatoes.

• Stock comes from the cooking of the clams.

• Finish with cream. Origin – America. Variations around coast of Boston, Cape Cod, Connecticut and Maine.

Cold Soups.• Certain soups are made to serve cold,

others can be served hot or cold.

• Cold – Gaspacheo, Cucumber, Jellied Consommé.

• Hot/Cold – Vichysoisse, Watercress, Consommé.

• Most soups can be served cold.

Thickening Agents Used in Soups.

• Roux: White, blonde and brown. 25 – 40 gms of flour to ½ ltr stock.

• Pulses: High is starch and require no further thickening. 200 gms to 1 ½ ltr of liquid. Lentils require 300 gms.

• Purees: Purees of vegetables provide thickening in a number of soups. Vegetables low in starch/high water content will require the addition of extra starch in the form of a roux.

• Béchamel: A thin béchamel may be used in a number of cream soups.

• Liaison: this has 2 purposes, it will thicken and also enrich the soup.

Accompaniments.• Sippets for purees and roux based.

• Finely grated parmesan cheese for bouillons and Italian soups.

• Toasted croutes for soups served in marmite pots.

• Cheese straws with turtle soup.

Garnishes.• Vegetable garnishes, good quality

precise cuts.

• Meat garnishes added to clear or broths.

• Coarsely chopped herbs to broths.

• Pluches of herbs for consommés and broths.

Summarize