If Cost Plus had a furniture selection comparable to its world tour of snacks, I'd outfit the whole house with its inexpensive-but-solid dark wood pieces. While there's nothing shocking in the food selection, within three or four isles you can grab British digestive biscuits, German canned herring, Japanese candies, and and reasonably-priced Veuve Cliquot with which to celebrate your finds. It's not an overseas vacation, but perhaps a vicarious exploration comparable to an hour of No Reservations (available instantly on Netflix -- I highly recommend for lazy Saturdays).
So last weekend, I picked out a rug and picked up some soup mix, including a spicy pumpkin which I made tonight. It was easy and it called for a ton of cream (I subbed some half and half plus a little plain yogurt, since that's what I had), and the recipe was at least new, if not particularly interesting.
Adding the dairy to the soup reminded me of the many less successful attempts I'd had: without the right background info, an amateur chef may get a pot of tiny curds instead of a creamy bisque. But why? I decided to investigate.
Tips: Adding cream or milk to soup.
Apparently, milk and dairy are quite heat-sensitive. If you melt butter, or even mix it above "High" with you kitchenaid, the butter breaks down, never to return to its original form -- a problem for precise pastries.
When adding milk or cream to soup, be aware of this delicacy to maintain excellent texture. Cream can withstand a bit more heat than milk, but neither should boil! This is the most important point, in my opinion.
Curdling is a clumping of milk protein. Acid, salt, and heat can all cause milk's protein to clump -- which makes a hot pan of well-seasoned tomato soup a prime environment for curdling.
To avoid this misfortune, cook all other ingredients, then reduce heat to a simmer -- or even lower, to be safe. As the final step before serving, add cream while stirring or whisking constantly. Bring the heat up slowly, and never above a simmer -- I would just heat to the temp at which you want to eat it. Don't let it sit unattended on the stove, and don't use old milk (as if you would!).
A thin-bottomed pan can also cause trouble, though is more likely to cause scorching (another reason to stir/wisk constantly and monitor temperature).
And what if you attempt these things but still get a soup with tiny specks of cream rather than a velvety bisque? All is not lost! Curdling probably didn't affect the flavor of your dish, and you can often bind everything back together with a roux or a slurry. For a roux, mix equal parts flour and butter (go ahead and melt the butter a bit, since it will melt in the soup anyway, but do not use hot melted butter, which might be harder to stir with the flour). For a slurry, mix cornstarch and cold water. For either, eliminate all lumps! Then stir your roux or slurry into the soup, and either of these "binders" should bring the soup back to a creamier texture.
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