Broccoli and Aged Cheddar Soup

Why This Broccoli and Aged Cheddar Soup Works

Butter, onion, and garlic start things off by softening together in the pot. As they cook, the onion loses its bite and turns sweet, and the garlic mellows out. When the flour goes in, it coats everything and sticks to the butter. After a minute, the flour changes from raw and pasty to a smooth paste that can soak up liquid without turning lumpy.

Once the chicken broth is whisked in, that flour-butter paste swells and thickens the broth as it heats. The broccoli then sits and simmers in this thicker liquid, so it softens all the way through instead of drying out or falling apart in water. After blending, the cooked broccoli and thickened broth turn into a smooth, velvety base.

When the aged cheddar and heavy cream are stirred into this hot, thick soup, the cheese melts evenly instead of clumping, and the cream loosens it just enough. The soup stays smooth and rich, and the nutmeg, salt, and pepper spread through every spoonful.

Mistakes To Avoid

Letting the flour sit in the butter without stirring or cooking it long enough leaves a raw flour taste and a grainy feel. The soup base then never really smooths out, and even after blending it can feel pasty instead of silky.

Pouring all the broth in at once instead of whisking it in gradually makes the flour clump into little balls. Those lumps don’t fully break down, even with blending, so the soup ends up with gummy bits and an uneven thickness.

Adding the cheese while the soup is boiling or very close to boiling often makes the cheese split. The fat separates out, the soup looks oily on top, and the body of the soup turns slightly gritty instead of creamy.

Using very large broccoli florets or adding them late in the simmering time means the stems stay firm while the rest of the soup is already thick. After blending, tiny hard pieces remain, and the soup never becomes fully smooth.