What Is Your Favorite Cream Soup?

[Perilagu Khan]

Not sure I've ever tried a cream soup that I don't love. Heck, I even used to be wild about Campbell's Cream o' Chicken until they desalinated the stuff. I guess my fav, though, is good old fashioned cream of potato, partially pureed, partially chunked, and topped off with fresh dill and a dusting of cayenne.

But enough of my palaver, already. What's the cream of your crop?

[shaogo]

SO (the dude) doesn't like cream soups -- except for New England Clam Chowder which he orders all the time. Go figure. He's tried several very good Lobster Bisques and doesn't care for 'em.

Me, Lobster Bisque is a favorite but it's a Bisque, not a cream soup. I love cream of mushroom. On the other hand, will turn down cream of broccoli if there's another option.

I make corn chowder with caramelized onions that the dude will eat, and that everyone loves. It's rich in butter, roux and cream.

Cream of asparagus, cream of crab are good.

I had a cream of chicken with dill and cucumber at a Scandinavian restaurant on the lower east side of New York City once that was divine, but they wouldn't give me the recipe...

[Seeker19104]

Creamy Broccoli Soup -- A warm meal in a bowl

[Jetgirly]

The cream of tomato soup at Tapas Bar in Victoria, BC, Canada. When I was in high school they had a bottomless bowl for $5. God only knows what they put in there... it's probably got more olive oil and parmesan than tomato.

[sisterfunkhaus]

I make a cream of mushroom with barley that I love. It's my favorite soup in the world.

[mamachef]

I sure would like to hear all about this....I LOVE soups w/ barley...

[EM23]

I am a seafood bisque lover (lobster or crab), and will always order it if it’s on the menu at a good seafood restaurant. Better still, if the bisque has saffron – be still my heart. In the summertime, I am on the hunt for corn chowder made with the local sweet summer corn - too hot to bother making it at home.
During the colder months, I love creamy vegetable soups. I make them with homemade chicken stock, celery, carrots, onion, spinach, cauliflower, and sometimes a potato, cooked, pureed, and served with a little heavy cream and a lot of black pepper – it happens to be WFD tonight. And a splash of cream in pea soup never hurt anyone.

[tim irvine]

Hear! Hear! To all of those. I also like a pinch of garam masala in pea soup.

[chefathome]

At the moment I am making roasted poblano and potato soup with corn and bacon. Particularly nice on a cold winter day.

[greese]

Just tried a cream of carrot, with bacon. Awesome combination. First, boil carrots and onions in chicken stock, then puree it. I added some garlic powder, a splash of lemon juice, and heavy cream. Sprinkle it with chopped bacon.

[tim irvine]

Today's favorite is roasted fingerling potatoes (white ones and purples ones), parsnips, and a quartered onion. Added salt, pepper, thyme, and a quart of chicken broth (home made), puréed it all, and added a splash of cream. The roasted parsnips really sweeten the soup.

[Passadumkeg]

Once I made a pot of cream of as[paragus soup For wife and SIL. Made special batch for my bro w/ 4 serrano chiles. What a hoot~

[PHREDDY]

I just finished a bowl of my Cream of Pink bean soup. It is really simple, after making a big pot of red beans, flavored with ham, turkey and a "sofrito".. A portion is placed on the side ,plunge in the immersion blender, add some salt and a spot of heavy cream!....serve it with crumbled bacon, grated cheedar and some chopped white onions....YUM!

[Teague]

Crab bisque is delicious, but my very favorite is cream of celery, home-made like my mother did every christmas eve. One celery plant, one onion, sauteed just a little in butter, roux made with that, and milk /water in equal shares, enough to make about half a gallon. Salt and pepper, and just before serving, chop up about four ounces of mild cheddar or colby into small dice, and stir in for richness. Simple and very good.
I think the celery was because we were too poor for oysters, but it is a lovely soup.

[chefathome]

Spring Pea and Watercress with Rose Cream from "Purple Citrus and Sweet Perfume". Wow.

[kseiverd]

About any Bisque... crab, lobster, shrimp. The Crab Trap iin Somer's Point, NJ makes a really nice one.

Though prefer Manhattan VERY slightly over NE clam chowder... a big bowl of NE can be a meal for me.

A few soups I like don't really have any cream in them. My split pea & ham soup cooks down to a smooth, green "puree" all by itself... we always called it "Exorcist Soup". When I worked in Philly, was right across Pine Street from The Academy of the Arts. They always had great home-made chili and soup. Bought a container of their Black Bean soup... actually not that pretty... very dark gray/black... but very tasty!

[alkapal]

i wish i could buy good ham bones with chunks of ham still on.

anyone know where i can get some here in northern virginia?

[Perilagu Khan]

Ham problems in Ol' Virginny? Well, I say, I say, what's the world a-comin' to?

[Bacardi1]

No problems at all finding absolutely terrific ham & ham products here in Ol' Virginny - EXCEPT for ham bones for soup. Very few, if any, mainstream places carry them. Most folks just buy the whole bone-in ham & use the leftover bone for that.

[boyzoma]

If you have a "Honeybaked" ham store, they sell ham bones that still have lots of ham on them. I buy them all the time. Great for split pea soup or a pot of ham & beans.

[EM23]

Thanks for this tip. I just called the store nearest to me and was told that it is best to call ahead to order them as the don't always have them in stock.

[Will Owen]

All of the Campbell's cream soups were family favorites when I was a kid; I think mushroom was my favorite, though asparagus and celery were big hits too. Any seafood chowder or bisque is welcome, too. I had a crab chowder at Julienne's in San Marino Saturday that had me wanting to lick the bowl. Campbell's has kind of gone downhill a whole lot, though; all of their soups are pallid imitations of what they used to be, and it's not just my aging tastebuds, either. I had some Cream of Potato the other day, and the potato chunks were almost crunchy until I thought to take the stick blender to it. That improved it hugely.

[Perilagu Khan]

As an aside, anybody know where, in general, cream soups orginated? They certainly seem to be exceptionally popular in the States.

[alkapal]

if i had to guess, i'd venture that it is france.

but of course.

[Perilagu Khan]

I would have guessed France of the States.

[CDouglas]

Maryland Cream of Crab soup takes the top spot for me. The Narrows Restaurant and The Cottage Cafe make the best that I have had.

Cream of artichoke is my second favorite. A truly indulgent and rich treat that is a pain in the neck to make but worth the trouble.

[EWSflash]

My mother's clam chowder. Unless you mean the ones commercially available, in that case it's the
Campbell's crema de chile poblano, as stated above.

[EWSflash]

I am so with you on the crema de chile poblano- best soup Campbell's ever made by a long shot. I wrote the company, it's only being made in Mexico now, BUT I think I found a supplier online (prior searches revealed nothing until now). I just now found it, here's the site.

http://www.mymexicanpantry.com/crema-...

[alkapal]

$3.49/can plus shipping. you must really, REALLY love the stuff. ;-).

maybe you should sign a requirements contract with veggo, and get his stuff.

[EWSflash]

I may do that. 8^) Meanwhile, my order arrived in time to make a potato dish for Christmas.

[Perilagu Khan]

Inspired by the incomparable mamachef, I created a recipe for Cream of Garlic and Wild Rice Soup, and I made it tonight. It is, I think, well worth making again.

1/4 cup wild rice
3/4 cup garlic cloves unpeeled
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup cream
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup dry white wine
1 T. olive oil
6 sprigs Italian parsley
1/2 T. black pepper
1/3 t. salt

1. Place garlic cloves in an oven-proof bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Cover with foil and roast at 200 for 45 minutes. Peel garlic.

2. Meanwhile, prepare wild rice according to instructions on packaging.

3. Place garlic and chicken broth in a stock pot, bring to a simmer and cook for three minutes.

4. Add parsley, pepper and wine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.

5. Add milk and cream. Simmer another 30 minutes.

6. Puree soup and return to stock pot.

7. Add salt and wild rice, and simmer another 10 minutes.

[alkapal]

how would you rate the garlickiness? (i know that's a hard rating, but just wondering if ¾ C unpeeled garlic was enough or not enough, considering the liquid amounts of dairy and broth).

i adore wild rice. was this enough wild rice to make it a thick soup, or just flecked with rice in every spoonful?

[Perilagu Khan]

Actually, it may be a shade too garlicky. Next time I make it, I'm reducing the amount of garlic to 2/3 cup. That will still be plenty potent.

The amount of wild rice is just right. It adds real texture to the soup, but doesn't make it thick and stew-like.

[tseptember]

Roasted Wild Cream of Mushroom Soup I had at Scottsdale Community College culinary program. Best I ever had. I also have to add the Fire Roasted Tomato soup from Paradise Bakery.

[boyzoma]

I don't eat cream soups directly from a can. I will, however, use some occasionally when making another dish. But my favorite creamy ones to make are:

Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Butternut Squash Soup
Cauliflower Soup
Chunky Tomato Soup
Clam Chowder Soup
Corn Chowder
Cream of Mushroom Soup
Dill Pickle Soup
Roasted Red Bell Pepper Soup
Split Pea Soup

[Perilagu Khan]

Dill pickle soup, eh? I'm intrigued and slightly frightened.

[boyzoma]

Oh, it it wonderful. We had a restaurant called The Trianon a couple of miles from our house that made it. Their soup was so popular that they used to hand out the recipe at the desk when you left. You can find the recipe here:

http://www.tastebook.com/recipes/1100...

[Perilagu Khan]

Sounds just crazy enough to be good.

[Harters]

Mushroom

[PHREDDY]

Cream of spinach with some garlicky crotons.
The only thing from a can or in this case a box, organic squash.
Campbells was a staple in my house growing up, no creamed soups, only chicken with stars or chicken noodle.
Mom made only cream of veggie soups because we were kosher, and only had creamed soups with fish.
She made a mean cream of corn soup, especially when we had fresh corn.

[Perilagu Khan]

Ah, Chicken with Stars, Chicken Noodle and Chicken with Rice. Those were the days...

[EWSflash]

Campbell's makes a Crema de Chile Poblano soup that is the best thing I ever had, but apparently they don't make it in the US any more. I sure would like to get my hands on a case. Does anybody know where I can find this awesome thing? The last missive from Campbell's said that they don't sell that product in the US any more. Anybody know otherwise? I know in my heart that it's the best product that Campbell's Soup ever produced.

[Veggo]

I make a pretty mean cream of poblano with sweet corn and sweet shrimp.

[Gio]

Recipe please...

[Cachetes]

Yes, recipe please, if you have one. I just asked my husband what his favorite is, and he said this. I had never heard of it.

[alkapal]

recipe, please kind sir!

[Veggo]

6 large poblanos, blistered, peeled, de-seeded, pureed
6 ears sweet corn, quick boil, cut kernels off, save cobs
1 lb large Florida pink shrimp, quick boil in shells, save shells
heat 32 oz box chicken broth, and maybe part of a 14 oz can, also, as you'll get some reduction in the next 2 steps
break cobs in half, boil one minute in broth, discard cobs
peel shrimp, boil shells 1 minute in broth, strain out shells
slice shrimp lengthwise, de-vein as necessary
add corn kernels, shrimp, pureed poblanos, 1 pint half and half to broth, maybe a little more. Caution: poblano heat varies a lot, you may add 2/3 of the puree and taste for heat, and the remainder if heat level is ok but you want plenty of poblano.
heat and serve,(don't boil or overcook), garnish with cilantro.

[Cachetes]

Thank you!

[alkapal]

thanks. you find the cobs add something? i made a cob "stock" once…and it tasted…"earthy." LOL

[Veggo]

There's wonderful corn "milk" to be extracted from the cobs, likewise more shrimp flavor from the shells. My concept is let no flavor be left behind.

[Perilagu Khan]

A cob is a terrible thing to waste.

[alkapal]

well, i guess i had already scraped the cobs pretty clean of the milk before i used them to make my "stock."

using the shrimp shells is, of course, a must!

[c oliver]

We Southerners, having grown up eating "creamed" corn, take for granted scraping the cobs :)

[c oliver]

The first step I do in soups like this is to remove the shells from the shrimp and simmer in preferably clam juice but chicken broth will do for 30 minutes. The very last thing I add is the shrimp and let stand for about four minutes. For me, that's all the cooking they need.

This is the recipe I've been using recently. First time I used leftover Dungeness crab, now shrimp. And because I use more seafood I also add a can or homemade chicken stock. The ginger add a nice taste that you don't pick out as ginger.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

[alkapal]

looks good. another place where ginger was new to me, but delicious, was in ceviche. had it at a restaurant a few years back, and just saw a recipe (philippines?) where the ceviche-like dish was made with some ginger. <geez, now i have to find that….> http://whatscookinginyourworld.blogsp...

[c oliver]

Saved that one! Although it's winter I may fix that on Super Bowl Sunday. Our kids and baby grandkids will be here and that sounds amazing. Thanks SO much!

[EWSflash]

Oh man, that sounds so good, veggo, thanks!

[c oliver]

It is screamingly good!

[Perilagu Khan]

Aiyeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

[sr44]

Apart from black bean soup.

[Perilagu Khan]

Wow. High praise indeed.

[Veggo]

From a Campbell's can? Compared to my home made poblano soups, made with love? You might as well praise a dog for not shitting on your lawn.

[ipsedixit]

I like your soups better, V.

[Perilagu Khan]

I bleeve there's a separate thread for SOS, Veggo.

[EWSflash]

This is not an end-result soup, veggo, it's an ingredient (to me anyway), as are most of the cream o' ____ soups. I do not use it to make enchiladas, but I use it as an ingredient in other dishes that I want a Mexican or Latin bit of flavor to. And creaminess, obviously. It isn't equal to your poblano soup.

[EWSflash]

I should have ended the sentence with "From Campbell's". I'm sure it's a WHOLE lot better made from scratch, but for what folks usually use canned cream soups for, it's tasty and versatile.

[EWSflash]

I did a web search and came up with mymexicanpantry.com, and they had the poblano soup, I ordered a dozen cans and they arrived in a couple of days. I feel so blessed I could just shite!

[Perilagu Khan]

Hmm. You have a strange way of showing your gratitude. ;)

[EWSflash]

True, PK, even though it's more a figure of speech... 8^0 However, I did order a dozen cans, they arrived very quickly (3-4 days), and most importantly they arrived before Christmas, when I wanted to use a coupla cans to add to the sliced-potato-with-cheese-and-other-tasty-stuff casserole.
Woohoo!

[ola]

cream of artichoke

[foiegras]

Ooh, that sounds fabulous ...

Cream of mushroom is tops (though I once had lobster bisque that was TDF--and unfortunately not a standard product because it wasn't the same when I went back to the restaurant for more), or celery, or asparagus. I remember being very pleased with the cream of celery I made as a teenager.

[fourunder]

There's a restaurant/catering hall in West Orange, New Jersey.....it one of the top producing facilities in the Tri-State area and they have a Fine Dining Restaurant and Seafood/Lobster Extravaganza Buffet on premise, the latter which is all you can eat Maine lobster. It would be easy to say something like Lobster Bisque or Cream of Crab....as I'm sure both are available there....

But the restaurant is known for their Cream of Mushroom Soup.....I could eat two bowls of that and be content without ever touching a piece of Lobster or anything else......it's that good.

[tracylee]

Clam Chowder, Lobster Bisque, Creamy Tomato Basil.

Unfortunatly, cream and milk don't like me, so I have to read ingredients carefully, ask the server or make my own with coconut milk.

Progresso Rich and Hearty and Campbell's Chunky Clam Chowders are pretty good when the craving for a thick soup hits.

I'll have to look into the garlic soup!

[Steve Green]

Cream of Crab from The Narrows, Grasonville, MD. But yeah, I once had cream of garlic from a long-gone place in Pacifica, CA. I still dream about it.

[MonMauler]

Agreed. That cream of crab is a beautiful thing. It is only surpassed by their crab benedict. Items 1a and 1b on the menu, as far as I'm concerned.

[Steve Green]

Wait. Are you saying the crab benedict surpasses their incredible crabcakes, or does the benedict _contain_ said cakes?

[Bacardi1]

"Crab Benedict" contains crab cakes in place of what would normally be Canadian Bacon.

[MonMauler]

True.

Steve: Yes, The Narrows' sublime crab cakes are included in the Crab Benedict, in place of the Canadian Bacon, as Bacardi indicates above.

[Bryan Pepperseed]

New England Clam Chowder (probably because I've never had Lobster Bisque) with cream o Mushroom being a close second.

[Bacardi1]

While I do use Campbell's "Cream of. . . .. " soups in cooking, my favorite for just out-of-can eating is their "Cream of Shrimp". Very shrimpy, & particularly tasty with a dollop of dry sherry added in.
As far as other canned cream soups, New England Clam Chowder is the only one I ever buy.

Now for cream soups I make myself, I'd have to say any seafood ones would be my favorites. And a Martha Stewart mushroom soup recipe (it was her mother's, I believe) was also quite good, if very rich.

[alkapal]

i've made an eggplant casserole using cream of shrimp soup. it also has cheddar cheese and crushed ritz crackers. old time comfort casserole. pretty good. also have made it with cream of celery or cream of mushroom soup.

[Kholvaitar]

Campbell's Cream of Shrimp in a Shrimp Rice Casserole, maybe what I'm making tonight.

[Bacardi1]

Yup - I make something like that frequently as well. Sort of like a pseudo "Shrimp Newburg" over rice. (With the soup/sauce generously tweaked with dry sherry! :))

[alkapal]

+1 on the sherry!

[prima]

Cream of Mushroom Soup, Clam Chowder and Seafood Chowder are my favourite cream soups.

I enjoyed the Taste of Nova Scotia Seafood Chowder served at Chives Canadian Bistro in Halifax. Here's the recipe: http://cottagelife.com/51316/recipes/...

[PotatoHouse]

If you are talking Campbell's, my favorite is Cream Of Chicken And Mushroom. If you are talking about homemade, then it would be my potato soup.

[Sal Vanilla]

I clicked back on this post when I saw "PotatoHouse" had commented. If you had said that your fave soup was anything but potato oriented I would have outed you as a PotatoHouse imposter.

Whew.

[PotatoHouse]

LOL!!

[jjjrfoodie]

Cream of chicken, mushroom and wild rice soup from Panera (the chain).

It's a big warm blanket wrapped hug in a bowl on a cold day.

OhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhYUM!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Sal Vanilla]

Nothing more comforting or versatile than potato.

Cold creamy? In summer? I often get fixated on avocado/cuke/buttermilk soup.

Out to dinner I want seafood bisque.

[GH1618]

You soup is a good choice, but try adding celery to it.

[melpy]

Cream or crab, lobster bisque, carrot.

I love a velvety soup.

[tcamp]

Crab bisque!! I just had some terrific crab bisque from a local place for lunch and was reminded how much I like it.

[magiesmom]

cream of celeriac and potato. heaven in a bowl.

[ipsedixit]

New England Clam Chowder

[pinehurst]

Does fish chowder count, since in NE it's often cream-based (yet chunkdillyicious)? If it counts, that.

[Puffin3]

Peel/seed/grate a couple of cucumbers. Add a few garlic cloves which have been steamed then cooled. Add to a couple of cups of heavy cream and a couple of cups of whole milk. A couple of drops of fresh lemon juice. A few fine chopped mint leaves. A small raw sweet onion fine chopped. Use a stick blender to puree. Season with S&White pepper. Serve over crushed ice. Sprinkle with fresh chopped mint leaves and a drop of olive oil. Classic Roman summer soup. I made it last summer. Absolutely delicious.

[alliegator]

Hands down, it's lobster bisque for me. One of my favorite meals is just a bowl of that and some bread.

[EWSflash]

Is that a canned soup? I'm drooling as I type this.

[alkapal]

i think i have to agree on lobster bisque!

[chefathome]

I'll add another. Creamy chicken with rice.

ETA: Creamy roasted wild mushroom with chestnuts. LOVE it.

Roasted butternut squash and carrot.

[mamachef]

Cream of asparagus, or creamed "four-lily" soup; which is just made w/ variety of alliums, espeakina which, creamed roasted garlic soup is a fine thing too.

[Perilagu Khan]

I've never eaten cream o' garlic, but I aim to. Sounds amazing.

[mamachef]

OMG, you have to try it. Just make sure you roast the garlic or you won't have any friends the next day.

[Perilagu Khan]

Maybe I'll make it when I want to be left alone.

[mamachef]

That's the ticket! So, so good to dunk French bread into. (Ahhh, I hear the sirens........they are luring you....they are calling.....PK, PK...make soup.....)

[Perilagu Khan]

Oh, never fear. I shall. The Khantessa is away and the Khan can play...with cream soups!

[alkapal]

"khantessa"! beautiful!

[Perilagu Khan]

Yes, she is. ;) Unfortunately, she's down with Type B flu. Took her to the ER last night.

[Sal Vanilla]

Huh. I never smell the garlic when I eat it. : )

I make bean soup when I want alone time.

[suzigirl]

Thank you for the laugh. Glad i wasn't drinking anything

[RetiredChef]

Soup's are one of my favourite things to make but I am not a fan of eating cream soups, however creamed roasted garlic soup is divine and you won't find me passing that one by.

[mamachef]

Heck yes. This has put me in he mood to make some..

[Steve Green]

Yow. Hey Mama, any chance of a recipe for that creamed 4-lily soup? Alliums are just about my favorite food.

[chefathome]

Vichyssoise (even though the creaminess comes from vegetable puree).
Roasted poblano with corn and potato soup (again, no cream, just puree).

[Sherri]

Cream of Crab from the Annapolis Yacht Club; I would commit crime for this stuff.
Lobster Bisque at T. Cook's in Phoenix AZ
My own Cream of Green using whatever falls into the pot that day
Cream of Artichoke & Green Chiles
I'm with you on the Cream of Potato - must be homemade and is greatly improved with bacon and Cheddar topping
For some reason, dating from childhood, Campbell's Cream of Celery when I am ill, accompanied by buttered Saltine crackers

Edit: oops, forgot summer soups -- Vichyssoise and (buttermilk) Cream of Cucumber, Curried Cream of Carrot,