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A little brandy in the soup?

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Katie In WA

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A little brandy in the soup?

by Katie In WA » Sun Jan 24, 2010 7:54 pm

A couple months ago I made a cauliflower and stilton soup for a luncheon. I looked up a recipe for it on Epicurious and it sounded pretty good. As usual, I read some of the 'reviews' from other cooks who had made the recipe. One reviewer said he'd put in a half cup of brandy. Whew! That sounded like a lot for that amount of soup. But the idea intrigued me so I added a 1/4 cup instead. When the soup was finished you couldn't taste the brandy but it certainly seemed to give the final soup some 'depth'. Yesterday and today I've been making split pea soup, which is one of my husband's favorites. After taking the soup bone out and pureeing the soup I was checking for flavor and decided to try the brandy thing again. This time I put in just a tablespoon of it. After cooking the soup down I checked for flavor again and liked the slight difference the brandy gave it.
Has anyone else tried this? If so, what do you think of the results?
The cares of tomorrow can wait 'til this day is done. 'Come by the Hills' by the Irish Rovers
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Karen/NoCA

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Re: A little brandy in the soup?

by Karen/NoCA » Sun Jan 24, 2010 8:31 pm

I don't believe I have ever used brandy in a soup but I think the idea is great. When I was little, my grandparents took care of me while mom worked. Grandma always made fresh chicken and veggie (both sourced from their mini farm) soup once or twice a week, and she always added white wine . I thought I was really grown up eating that soup with my "ahead of her time" grandmother. I still use all sorts of wines in my soups...will give the brandy a try next time. I'm thinking it would be heavenly in a butternut squash soup.
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Daniel Rogov

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Re: A little brandy in the soup?

by Daniel Rogov » Sun Jan 24, 2010 8:41 pm

Katie, Hi......


Jeanne d'Arc (Joan of Arc) liked a bit of brandy in her soup. You're in fine company.

Best
Rogov
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Maria Samms

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Re: A little brandy in the soup?

by Maria Samms » Sun Jan 24, 2010 8:42 pm

Hi Katie,

I haven't tried brandy in my soup but almost always use a little sherry. It's probably the same idea. I always add it to bisques, cream soups, or chowder, and find, like you, it adds depth and complexity.
"Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance" -Benjamin Franklin
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Dave R

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Re: A little brandy in the soup?

by Dave R » Sun Jan 24, 2010 9:11 pm

I always add Armagnac to my French onion soup. Of course my girlfriend then says, "I thought you said you were cooking for us at home rather than taking me out so you could save money!"

It is hard to win, but the soup is very good.
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Jeff Grossman

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Re: A little brandy in the soup?

by Jeff Grossman » Sun Jan 24, 2010 10:36 pm

It also helps to loosen up flavor components that are soluble in alcohol and not in water.
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Shel T

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Re: A little brandy in the soup?

by Shel T » Mon Jan 25, 2010 4:40 am

Katie, brandy in soup is a terrif addition and does add depth and complexity IMO, as do a lot of other liquors, liquers and fortified wines. Some you might like to try are port, calvados, marsala, madeira, vermouth, vodka and rum is great in cold soups.
If you're interested, try google for recipes, there are tons.
Nullum gratuitum prandium
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Jenise

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Re: A little brandy in the soup?

by Jenise » Mon Jan 25, 2010 11:51 am

What Shel said. I use a lot of hooch in my cooking--next time you're barbecuing, add a little bourbon or scotch to your BBQ sauce. I use scotch as a stand-in for Chinese rice wine in Chinese cooking, my white bean soup wouldn't be the same without Noilly Prat (dry French vermouth), and a bisque wouldn't taste like bisque without brandy.
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Jon Peterson

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Re: A little brandy in the soup?

by Jon Peterson » Mon Jan 25, 2010 2:29 pm

Maria Samms wrote:...but almost always use a little sherry. I always add it to bisques, cream soups, or chowder, and find, like you, it adds depth and complexity.

Maria, I'm with you. When I go to a local seafood spot like Legal Seafood, I'll get the cream of crab soup and a shot of dry sherry - it makes good bisques, cream soups, or chowders 'great'.
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Katie In WA

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Re: A little brandy in the soup?

by Katie In WA » Mon Jan 25, 2010 9:15 pm

Sorry, I didn't mean to leave the impression that I never use wine or fortified wine in cooking. I've been doing that for many years. It was just that the idea of using something as strong as brandy in a cream soup was new to me. Mea culpa.
The cares of tomorrow can wait 'til this day is done. 'Come by the Hills' by the Irish Rovers
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Jenise

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Re: A little brandy in the soup?

by Jenise » Mon Jan 25, 2010 9:38 pm

Katie In WA wrote:Sorry, I didn't mean to leave the impression that I never use wine or fortified wine in cooking. I've been doing that for many years. It was just that the idea of using something as strong as brandy in a cream soup was new to me. Mea culpa.


Brandy being so strong, it really is amazing how svelte it becomes in concert with other ingredients, isn't it?
My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov
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Linda R. (NC)

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Re: A little brandy in the soup?

by Linda R. (NC) » Wed Jan 27, 2010 12:05 pm

I make a chicken and mushroom dish with a brandy cream sauce. I saute mushrooms and onions in olive oil and/or butter. Remove and saute chicken coated with herb de provence and black pepper. When the chicken is almost done, I take it out and make the sauce using the same pan to get all the bits from the chicken. I add brandy, cream, a pat of butter & a little salt & pepper. When it begins to thicken slightly, I add the mushrooms & chicken back and warm through. Serve with mashed potatoes and a green vegetable. Wine pairing - a nice white burgundy.

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