Velvety meal can soup up your menus

HYDE PARK, N.Y. — Silky, comforting cream soups are a perfect antidote to bracing weather and nipping winds.

Their velvety texture and delicate ivory color make them an elegant but versatile option, whether they're served at the start of a dinner menu, as the main course for a Sunday supper or packed in an insulated mug for a cold-weather countryside ramble.

According to classic definitions, a cream soup is based on a bechamel sauce (which is milk thickened with roux, a mixture of flour and butter slowly cooked over low heat) and is finished with heavy cream.

Many of today's cream soups, however, are made by simmering the major flavor ingredients in thickened broth until they're tender. Then the solids are strained and, in most cases, pureed and returned to the soup. A second straining often follows to get the velvety-smooth texture that's associated with cream soups.

In some cases, milk is the base liquid, replacing the broth. You may also substitute potatoes or rice as the thickener instead of roux.

A "veloute" soup is based on a light veloute sauce (which is a broth thickened with roux) and is finished with a liaison (thickening agent) of heavy cream and egg yolks. Soups finished with such a liaison are very rich and high in calories.

Trim, peel and cut vegetables for cream soups according to type and recipe requirements.

"It is less important that the cuts are neat and uniform for cream soups than for hearty soups, because cream soups will be pureed," says Joe Mure, assistant professor in culinary arts at The Culinary Institute of America.

"However, it is important that the cuts be small and relatively uniform in size in order to cook evenly.

"Garnishes, too, should be uniform because they decorate the soup," Mure adds, and they should be small enough for both garnish and soup to fit onto a spoon.

Aromatic vegetables such as carrots, onions and celery should be cut relatively small to let their flavors be fully released. If you want a white or ivory cream soup, use a combination of parsnips, leeks and celery. Other aromatic combinations, including sachets of various herbs and spices, are sometimes used in cream soups.

Finishing ingredients, final flavoring and seasonings and garnishes should be assembled and added just before serving.

Fresh sweet cream is the most common finishing ingredient, but liaisons and flavored creams (scented with ginger or other aromatics) may also be used.