J. Kenji López-Alt - Maxxed Out Broccoli and Cheese Soup | Kenji's Cooking Show
The video provides a detailed guide on making broccoli and cheese soup, emphasizing the balance of flavors and innovative techniques to enhance taste. The host, Kenji, shares his journey of discovering broccoli cheese soup, noting its popularity from places like Panera and Campbell's. He explains the importance of using both broccoli stems and florets to achieve a rich flavor, with stems providing a base flavor and charred florets adding a nutty taste. Kenji avoids traditional thickeners like flour, opting instead for potatoes to maintain a clean flavor and prevent the cheese from breaking. He uses a combination of sharp cheddar and American cheese to achieve a smooth, gooey texture, enhanced by dry mustard powder and a touch of hot sauce for added depth. The soup is simmered until the vegetables are tender, then blended to a smooth consistency before adding the cheese gradually to ensure proper emulsification. This method results in a soup with complex broccoli and cheese flavors without the dullness of flour-based thickeners.
Key Points:
- Use both broccoli stems and florets for a balanced flavor; stems for base flavor, charred florets for nuttiness.
- Avoid flour as a thickener to prevent dull flavor; use potatoes for a cleaner taste and to prevent cheese from breaking.
- Combine sharp cheddar and American cheese for flavor and texture; American cheese contains emulsifying salts.
- Add dry mustard powder and a dash of hot sauce to enhance cheese sharpness and add depth.
- Simmer vegetables until tender, blend until smooth, and add cheese gradually to ensure proper emulsification.
Details:
1. Introduction: Cheese and Broccoli Maxing 🧀🥦
- The concept of 'cheese maxing' and 'brock maxing' is introduced, setting the stage for a discussion on maximizing the use of cheese and broccoli in culinary practices.
2. The Origins of Broccoli and Cheese Soup 🍲
- Broccoli and cheese soup is not a traditional dish for the speaker, Kenji, or his podcast co-host, Deb.
- Kenji's first experience with broccoli and cheese soup was approximately 7 to 8 years ago.
- Demand for a broccoli cheese soup recipe influenced Kenji's exploration into the dish.
- Broccoli and cheese soup, while not traditional for the speakers, has become a popular recipe due to its comforting and rich flavor profile.
- Historically, the soup likely evolved from traditional cheese soups, with broccoli added for nutritional value and texture.
- The dish has gained popularity in American cuisine, often featured in restaurants and home cooking alike.
3. Broccoli Preparation: Stems and Florets 🌿
3.1. Historical Context and Popularity of Broccoli Cheese Soup
3.2. Recipe Insights and Variations of Broccoli Cheese Soup
4. The Art of Charring and Soup Base Creation 🔥
- Broccoli stems have more flavor than florets, according to Jack Pan, making them a key ingredient in creating a more flavorful soup base.
- Sautéing broccoli stems with other vegetables can enhance the depth of flavor in the soup, providing a robust base that supports other ingredients.
- To impart a nutty, charred flavor to the soup, small-cut broccoli florets should be charred, adding a unique taste profile often absent in traditional recipes.
- Traditional broccoli soup recipes often result in overcooked, dull flavors due to slow cooking methods, highlighting the need for innovative cooking techniques.
5. Cooking Techniques and Ingredient Mastery 🍳
- Utilize broccoli stems for a base flavor by slicing them thin enough to be sautéed, enhancing the depth of flavor in dishes.
- Choose a four-quart brazier for cooking; the Deb Pearlman brazier, made in collaboration with Stalbon, is recommended for its quality.
- Heat oil until it shimmers before adding ingredients; this indicates the oil is hot enough to start cooking.
- Incorporate finely chopped carrots and onions for sweetness in soups, particularly broccoli soup, as these vegetables complement the dish well.
- Garlic should be sliced thin to ensure even cooking when sautéed with other vegetables.
- Allow broccoli to char slightly by letting it sit without stirring for about a minute, aiming for an al dente texture that will finish cooking in the soup.
- To achieve optimal browning, stir broccoli to expose more surface area to the heat, resulting in a nutty aroma and flavor.
- After browning, place broccoli on an aluminum sheet to cool quickly; aluminum's heat conductivity helps rapidly reduce temperature.
6. Innovative Thickening with Potatoes 🥔
- Potatoes serve as an effective thickening agent in soups, eliminating the need for flour or cornstarch, which can dull flavors and create an undesired texture.
- The starch content in potatoes creates a gooey, stretchy texture similar to nacho cheese sauce when cooked, due to the swelling and bursting of starch granules.
- This method was inspired by attempts to develop a vegan nacho cheese sauce, utilizing potatoes to achieve a gooey texture without dairy.
- A typical recipe includes a pound and a half of broccoli and three cups of whole milk as the base, with optional additions of water or chicken stock for desired consistency.
- The natural emulsification process facilitated by potatoes preserves the vibrant flavors of the soup while ensuring a smooth texture.
- This approach enhances the overall taste and presentation of the soup, making it a practical alternative to traditional thickening methods.
7. Cheese Selection and Flavor Enhancements 🧀
- Replace flour with potato in soups for a cleaner, vegetable-like flavor and improved texture.
- Focus on cooking cues like visuals and texture rather than strict timing to achieve the best results.
- Incorporate a significant amount of cheese—12 oz of extra sharp cheddar and 8 oz of deli-style American cheese—for enhanced flavor and creamy texture.
- Use dry mustard powder to enhance the sharpness of cheese dishes without introducing a mustard flavor.
- Blend soups for a smooth texture and strain if necessary to remove any remaining solids.
- Enhance umami flavor with a salt and MSG mix.
- Add a few dashes of hot sauce such as Frank's for acidity and heat, which intensifies the cheese flavor without overpowering it.
- Simmer broccoli until it is heated through but still maintains a bright green color, ensuring it does not overcook.
8. Final Touches and Tasting: A Culinary Delight 👨🍳
- The dish achieves a complex broccoli flavor by simmering and blending broccoli stems into the soup.
- A nutty flavor is added by charring broccoli florets.
- Two types of cheese are used to enhance the dish: aged cheddar and American cheese.
- Potato is used as a thickener instead of a traditional flour roux to maintain bright flavors.
- The dish is described as 'extra cheesy' and 'extra broccoli', emphasizing its rich taste profile.
9. Conclusion: Beyond the Recipe 📺
- Kenji Lopez promotes additional resources available for free on Patreon, including the full article, recipe, and bonus content.
- Encourages subscribing to his YouTube channel and alternate channel, Kenji Lopez Main, for more content.
- Followers are invited to follow Kenji on Instagram for daily updates.
- Offers signed and personalized copies of his books, including 'The Food Lab,' 'The Wok,' and 'Every Night is Pizza Night,' which are available through Bookarter in Seattle.
- Provides links to all resources and tools used in the video in the description.