HOW TO MAKE CREAM SOUPS

Cream soups are all made by blending two tablespoons of butter with two tablespoons of flour and then adding slowly one cup of cold milk or half cream and milk.  One cup for a thin soup or puree, to one quart of liquid.  More according to the thickness of soup desired.  Any cooked vegetable or fish may be added to the cream sauce.  Less milk is used when the water in which the vegetables are cooked is added.

Purees are made from vegetables or fish, forced through a strainer and retained in soup, milk and seasonings.  Generally thicker than cream soup.

Use a double boiler in making cream sauces and the cream sauce foundation for soups.

To warm over a thick soup it is best to put it in a double boiler.  It must not be covered.  If one does not have a double boiler set soup boiler in a pan of hot water over fire.

Cream soups and purees are so nutritious that with bread and butter, they furnish a satisfactory meal.

CREAM OF ALMOND SOUP

Blanch, and grind or pound one-half pound almonds, let simmer slowly in one pint of milk for five minutes.  Melt one tablespoon of butter, blend with one of flour.  Do not allow to bubble.  Add one cup of milk and thicken slightly.  Then add the almond mixture and simmer again until creamy.  Remove from fire and add one cup of cream.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Cream may be whipped or left plain.

CREAM OF CELERY SOUP

Break three stalks of celery in one-inch pieces and pound in a mortar.  Cook in double boiler with one slice of onion and three cups of milk for twenty minutes.  Remove onion, heat two tablespoons of butter, add two tablespoons of flour, one-fourth teaspoon of pepper, one teaspoon of salt; first two-thirds of a cup, and gradually the rest of the celery broth, add one cup of cream; cook until smooth and serve at once.

CREAM OF ASPARAGUS SOUP

Proceed as with cream of celery soup, substituting one-half bundle of fresh asparagus or an equal amount of canned for the stalk of celery.  Or, the tips of a bundle of asparagus may be cut off for table use and the remainder used for soup.  In either case the asparagus will be better if mashed through a colander, thus removing the woody portions.

CREAM OF CAULIFLOWER SOUP

Take a solid head of cauliflower, scald it to take away the strong taste; separate the flowers and proceed as with cream of celery soup.

CREAM OF CORN SOUP

Take a can of corn or six ears of corn.  Run a sharp knife down through the center of each row of kernels, and with the back of a knife press out the pulp, leaving the husk on the cob.  Break the cobs and put them on to boil in sufficient cold water to cover them.  Boil thirty minutes and strain the liquor.  Return the liquor to the fire, and when boiling add the corn pulp and bay leaf.  Cook fifteen minutes; add the cream sauce and serve.