Week 3: Cream Soups

Research

Introductions

• List the method of cookery and dishes to be covered in class

This week we will be making cream of tomato soup, using a combination of white stock and brown stock for our base. White stock is started by placing the bones in cold water, followed by boiling the water, simmering, skimming the surface, adding mirepoix and sachet, simmering & skimming some more, straining, cooling, and refrigerating. On the other hand, brown stock is made by roasting and carmelizing the bones, deglazing, adding cold water, boiling, simmering, sauteing the mirepoix using reserved fat, mixing in tomato paste, browning, simmering, skimming, straining, cooling, and refrigerating. Finally, cream of tomato soup is made using the following methods: sweating, deglazing, boiling, simmering, puréeing (blending), straining, seasoning, and garnishing.

• List your learning objectives for the class

I hope to strengthen my cutting skills in this class after learning the proper technique last week. As we are making stock again this week, I aim to get better at preparing stock proficiently. I have never made cream of tomato soup, so I look forward to learning how to make it the perfect consistency and flavor. Furthermore, I am excited to practice deglazing in class after reading and watching videos about the technique because the brown stock and cream of tomato soup both call for deglazing pans.

• Discuss your prior knowledge of the content

As of right now, I would say my knowledge of stockmaking is intermediate. Vegetable stock is fairly similar to white stock in terms of methodology. White stock differs from vegetable stock in that it uses bones and includes a bouquet garni or sachet. When making any soup, you must decide if you want a stronger flavor (less liquid) or a weaker flavor (more liquid); by leaving the lid off the pot while simmering/boiling the liquid, a more flavorful dish is produced because more liquid evaporated. I believe the consistency of the cream of tomato soup should be somewhere in between thick and watery once it is puréed in the blender, and especially after adding heavy cream to the dish.

Background Information

• Research and discussion of method of cooking/ techniques

We will be using numerous techniques this week between the three complimenting recipes. Most of these methods and techniques were used last week, such as simmering, skimming, browning, sweating, and carmelizing techniques. However, this is the first time we will be using deglazing and puréeing techniques. According to an article from Bon Appétit, "Deglazing is simply the act of adding liquid to a hot pan, which allows all of the caramelized bits stuck to the bottom to release" (Delany, 2018). Turns out we actually did use this method last week by adding stock to a hot, dense mix of tomato paste and mirepoix; the instructions just didn't say to deglaze the pan. Although cream of tomato soup is a staple meal, I have never eaten or made it. I thought cream of tomato soup was essentially diced tomatoes in a creamy sauce until I learned that you purée the soup. We will be puréeing the soup using an immersion blender so that it is soft, "thick and completely smooth with no lumps or variation in texture" (Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, 2019). Consistency affects the flavor of a dish, so it is crucial that the cream of tomato soup has a perfect texture and thickness.

• Research and discussion of primary ingredient

The primary ingredient for the cream of tomato soup is surprisingly, tomatoes! Crushed tomatoes in a can and tomato paste are used to create this soup. Each tomato used may differ in taste depending on the levels of sugar and acid. An article by the University of Missouri explains that "tomatoes with low sugar and high acid content are considered to have a sour (tangy) flavor, whereas high sugar and low acid results in bland-tasting tomatoes. Fruits with both low sugar and low acid are relatively flavorless, and are typical of those that have been harvested at the breaker stage of maturity and artificially ripened" (Trinklein, 2021). Preferably, the best tomato with a balanced taste would be one that is high in acid and sugar (Bonnie Plants).

• Dish/method variations - discuss the variations of the dish or the methods of cooking

There are numerous ways to cook cream of tomato soup, whether you want it made quick, served chilled, or chunky - rather than smooth. One thing I found common with each method is adding milk or heavy cream as the last step. Instead of simmering and puréeing the soup, you could also use the following methods:

1. Slow cooker: This would produce a similar result to simmering if you still purée the soup, but it would take longer to cook. Slow cookers are convenient because you can walk away for long periods of time and don't need to stir the soup as frequently.

2. Microwave: This method is quick, but it produces a lower-quality soup.

3. Instant Pot: This method is quicker than simmering but slower than microwaving. Using an instant pot will make a product similar to simmering the soup, but it may not be as rich because the stock won't have time to absorb enough flavor.

4. Boiling: You could boil the vegetables rather than sweating them, which would produce a slightly weaker flavor of mirepoix and enhance the flavor of tomatoes.

Recipes

Plan of Work

Report & Reflect

Results

• Describe the outcomes of the lab class

This week in class, we made cream of tomato soup using white and brown stock. I am very proud of my team because the cooking process went very well and we made an amazing cream of tomato soup. Compared to the last class, everything went a lot smoother, and we made many improvements throughout the process. We learned from our mistakes by assuring that we completely prepared our mise en place and did not over-fixate on cutting the vegetables perfectly. I strengthened my cutting skills this week, as I was able to chop quickly while still demonstrating the correct technique. Now that we have made three different types of stock, I feel comfortable with preparing it and can tell I am more proficient at making stock.

• Describe how well the technique/cooking method worked

Deglazing, simmering, and puréeing the cream of tomato soup worked very well, especially after practicing some of these techniques last week. Adding the hot stocks to the pan quickly deglazed the browned - not caramelized - mirepoix. We simmered the soup after bringing it to a boil, allowing the flavors of mirepoix, tomato, and bouquet garni to extract. Although simmering takes a long time, it was a more efficient method than last week because we let the soup adequately boil before lowering the temperature and covered the pan with a lid to avoid excessive evaporation. Puréeing the cream of tomato soup in the immersion blender gave the dish the perfect texture and brought out the flavor of tomatoes. If we had not puréed the soup, then the finished product would not exhibit umami, body, or creaminess.

• Describe the sensory results of the dish

Our cream of tomato soup turned out exceptionally well. The soup appeared clean and full with a vermilion color and had a well-balanced texture to it. Although the taste was a little too salty and in my opinion a bit spicy, the flavor gave a pleasant umami taste and was the perfect combination of creamy tomatoes.

• Taste

After comparing our soup to other classmates, we realized our soup was unquestionably too salty. My team made the mistake of pouring a tablespoon of salt into the pan at the last second, which was more than the recipe called for after adjusting the conversions. The soup only needed a sprinkle of salt and pepper, but we added way too much of both ingredients without thinking. Our classmates agreed that the pepper enhanced the soup, but I personally thought it was too hot since I don't like or even eat spicy foods. Since tomatoes are naturally sweet and sour, it was assumed that the cream of tomato soup would present those tastes as well.

• Flavor

Our cream of tomato soup had an intense flavor of tomatoes. As I mentioned above, the soup initially tasted sour from the acidity of the tomatoes. After adding heavy cream to the dish, the soup presented a rich, creamy, and tangy flavor of tomatoes with hints of onion, carrot, and celery. The flavor of the soup was very balanced, considering the majority of tomatoes in the dish. Once we garnished the soup with pesto croutons, chopped bell peppers, thyme, and basil, the flavor was near perfect. We added a pesto grilled cheese sandwich with a parmesan crust to pair with the soup, which really complimented the dish and tasted great when dipped in the soup.

• Texture

In terms of sensory results, the texture of our cream of tomato soup turned out the best. By simmering with a lid on top (to avoid unwanted evaporation) and puréeing the soup, we gave the cream a thin texture. The consistency of the soup was very balanced from puréeing it in the immersion blender as well. We diced the bell peppers for a slightly crunchy texture with each bite. The croutons were perfectly crispy and almost melted in your mouth once mixed into the soup; this occurrence was most likely caused by the high temperature of the soup when it was served, but we thought it made the dish even better. The parmesan crust on the pesto grilled cheese sandwich was too crispy and crunchy for my liking, but this problem was solved if you chose to dip the sandwich in the soup.

• Appearance

The color of the cream of tomato soup appeared more vermilion (a combination of orange and red) in person than in the picture, but it was still too orange. Originally before garnishing, the soup was a deep red color, but the heavy cream turned it orange. We thought the heavy cream would sit on top of the soup rather than sinking, so we ended up stirring it in instead of making a design on the surface. We discovered the cream was too thin when the bell peppers and croutons also sunk to the bottom. Nevertheless, I garnished the soup as well as I could - despite the issue - and created a visually appealing cream of tomato soup with chopped thyme, basil, and (less dense) croutons on the surface. The grilled cheese did not have as dark of a crust in person as it appears in the picture. Additionally, the grilled cheese caused the dish to look dirty because we chose too small of a plate; there was not enough room to lay the sandwich down so we propped it up against the bowl, but it kept sliding around and flaking off crumbs. I will keep in mind my plate choice and presentation when I make this dish again for the practical exam; I will choose the same bowl next time, but a larger flat plate would be more suitable so that the grilled cheese is not crowded.

Simmering the soup with the lid on and a bouquet garni tied to the pot before puréeing the dish.

Preparing the pesto grilled cheese sandwich.

The finished product - before enhancing the image.

Evaluation of results

• Explain and discuss the important outcomes using external references and citations

Many important lessons came from preparing the menu this week. We learned to slowly add seasoning and reevaluate until the dish is to our liking, rather than adding large amounts instantaneously; this may sound like common sense, but we assumed a lot of salt and pepper would be needed to strengthen the taste of a large amount of soup. Adding heavy cream helped fix our mistake, but the soup was still too strong overall. The decision to add more heavy cream than the recipe called for may have helped the taste, but it affected the appearance of the soup by turning it from a deep red color to a more orange vermilion color. Furthermore, the heavy cream changed the mouthfeel and texture of the soup. After doing some research, I have discovered that this occurrence could be called a domino effect - making one adjustment will cause you to change something else, and so on. According to an article by Janet Butter, "When modifying a recipe, it is best to make one modification at a time. Reduce or increase the amount of an ingredient to be modified by a small amount at first. You can make an additional adjustment the next time you use the recipe" (2010). Following this simple rule would have prevented us from making numerous adjustments in the end.

• Discuss the techniques that did work well. Provide an explanation of why they did work.

As I explained earlier in this blog, all techniques, including puréeing, simmering, and deglazing, worked well this week.

• Discuss the techniques that did not work well. Provide an explanation of why they did work.

No techniques did not work well for this recipe.

• Discuss the particular improvements and changes that could be implemented to improve the outcomes

When I make cream of tomato soup again for the practical exam, I will improve the taste, appearance, and texture of my dish. Although the soup turned out exceptional in the end, it was still very strong tasting, the wrong color, and, as I just discovered, too thin. To prevent these mistakes in the future, I will add seasoning slowly to avoid over-correcting with heavy cream and simmer the soup without a lid for longer to thicken the soup.

Conclusions

• Provide a concise and clear recap of the outcomes of the class.

This week's menu preparation in class taught us valuable lessons about seasoning and recipe modifications. We had previously learned that it's better to gradually season and adjust the taste, but we didn't truly grasp the concept until we learned it in a hands-on setting. Although adding extra heavy cream improved the taste, it had a domino effect and further altered the soup's color and texture.

• Discuss the specific learning outcomes of the class and link them to the learning objectives that were previously identified.

My team did a great job preparing cream of tomato soup using white and brown stock. We learned from our previous mistakes and drastically improved from last week by correctly preparing our mise en place and strengthening our vegetable-cutting and stock-making skills.

• Discuss additional skills and knowledge that were learned outside of the previously identified learning objectives.

As I stated above, I learned the importance of gradually seasoning and garnishing a dish to taste rather than impulsively adding large amounts without continuously reevaluating the taste.

• Explain the potential circumstances that the newly-found skills and knowledge could be applied.

The knowledge I gained this week in class will be useful at the end of the semester when I complete the practical exam and will help me when preparing meals outside of class.

• Detail areas that still require practice and improvement.

My confidence in stock-making still requires improvement and will hopefully grow further in the near future when I practice my skills outside of class. My time management during preparation was much better this week, but I have always struggled in this area and need to focus more on this factor.

References

Bonnie Plants. (2012, April 23). What are the basic components of tomato flavor?

https://bonnieplants.com/blogs/garden-fundamentals/the-basics-of-tomato-flavor#:~:text=%22A%20tomato%20high%20in%20sugars,sugars%20to%20balance%20the%20taste.%22

Butter, J. (2010, March). Modify a recipe for healthy results. Modify a Recipe for

Healthy Results (Rutgers NJAES). https://njaes.rutgers.edu/sshw/message/message.php?p=Health&m=152#:~:text=When%20modifying%20a%20recipe%2C%20it,baked%20goods%2C%20require%20careful%20adjustments.

Delany, A. (2018, February 23). What does “deglaze” even mean? and do I need a

degree to do it? Bon Appétit. https://www.bonappetit.com/story/what-does-deglaze-mean

Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. (2019, June). Nutrition and dietetics

speech and language therapy pureed food. Pureed food . https://www.imperial.nhs.uk/-/media/website/patient-information-leaflets/speech-and-language-therapy/pureed-food.pdf?rev=05b36e5ce4384ab38a060ac66a82a2de&sc_lang=en

Trinklein, D. (2021, September 3). The quest for more flavorful tomatoes (David

Trinklein). The Quest for More Flavorful Tomatoes // Missouri Environment and Garden News Article // Integrated Pest Management, University of Missouri. https://ipm.missouri.edu/MEG/2021/9/tomatoFlavor-DT/#:~:text=Alternatively%2C%20tomatoes%20with%20low%20sugar,at%20the%20breaker%20stage%20of

Yummefy. (2021, October 22). Minestrone soup recipe: Healthy Italian vegetable

soup: Minestrone soup with pasta. yummefy.com. https://www.yummefy.com/minestrone-soup-recipe.html#:~:text=The%20origin%20of%20minestrone%20soup%3A&text=In%20the%202nd%20Century%20B.C.,dating%20back%20to%2030%20AD.