The thickener I use in this soup is Instant ClearJel® Powder
aka: ICJ® Powder It's my favorite thickener. I've actually been using it for nearly 30 years! That's a very long successful track record!
Now if you've been following my blog, you might already be familiar with ICJ® powder.
If not, let me introduce you to this wonderful THICKENER!!!
Instant ClearJel® Powder is rarely (as is) and almost NEVER in grocery stores.
It's true, because the commercial industry hopes you'll NEVER learn about it. It's one of their BIGGEST & BEST trade secrets. Instead they'll only sell it to you within their baked goods and end-products! You buy it all the time in all your favorite baked goods. Plus restaurants use it within their cooking too.
Instant ClearJel® Powder, aka: ICJ® Powder is often sold only locally in restaurant supply-source stores and kitchen shops or ONLINE. As I said earlier... it's my favorite thickener, and I've been using it literally for over 3 decades.
I also use it to thicken my favorite CREAM SOUPS, which is what I want to SHARE with you in this post...
I USE to make cookies and .... Even my BREADS were made with B.B. Buttermilk and ICJ® Powder, but now ALL those days are GONE, since I've stepped down from being...
The "BREAD QUEEN"
Since I no longer eat ANY GLUTEN!
but hey... It's really NOT all that bad!
- Good Thing: I absolutely love & adore Instant ClearJel®.
- INSTANT ClearJel® Powder: is a modified-corn-starch thickener I've used for years!
- Cream Soups are made creamy and smooth with ICJ® thickener!
- Thickening Rues: I share 2 types for the Creamy Cauliflower Soup ... one with ICJ® & the (original recipe) using all-purpose flour.
Cheesy Cauliflower Soup
{w/ Thickening Rue I Or II}
Makes: 8-10 servings
Printer Friendly Version
12-qt Stockpot:
1/4 cup butter
1 head cauliflower
1 cup green onion
1/2 cup celery
1 1/2 TBSP garlic
1 cup water
Thickening Rue I (Gluten-Free)
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INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup powdered milk* (NOT instant)
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
4 cups milk, 1 or 2%
DIRECTIONS
Combine dry ingredients together first, blend in the milk and chicken base to thicken; may thin with additional milk, as necessary.
3 cups water
Add your choice of Thickening Rue
4 more cups milk, 1 or 2%
3 cups Colby Jack Cheese, shredded
Jalapeno bottled slices, minced
Fresh parsley, minced
Dried thyme
Garnish:
1 cup Colby Jack Cheese, shredded
Fresh parsley sprigs
Jalapeno bottled, slices
To Stockpot: Melt butter - add chopped green onion and garlic. Break cauliflower into florets, but leave into fairly large pieces. Cook on Medium-heat with the lid on. Adding 1 cup water, only as needed for steaming - until vegetables are well cooked. Stirring occasionally - cooking 25 min.
The cauliflower will become soft enough to (EVENTUALLY) have bite sized-pieces in the soup. Once the veggies are cooked AND removed from the heat.
Soup: Ladle out much of the cooked veggies to a resting container and reserve for later. Add 3 cups water to the large stockpot of remaining cauliflower. Add the prepared Thickened Rue and 4 more cups of milk. Heat on low until the soup gets warm, about 140°F.
Slowly add in the cheese. Toss in minced jalapeno slices, with plenty of fresh parsley. Sprinkle in the dried thyme, to taste. Warm the soup to 160°F for 10 minutes.
Garnish and serve with parsley sprigs and bottled jalapeno slices.
Thickening Rue II (Traditional)
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INGREDIENTS
Olive oil
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
1 Tbsp onion powder
2-3 tsp chicken base baste, of your choice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
DIRECTIONS
Coat a deep saucepan with olive oil. Add butter and stir with a whisk. When butter is melted, add flour and whisk until the flour cooks fully and no longer looks white. Add liquid and incorporate till the lumps are gone. After is thickens then add it to the vegetables you have already cooked in the pan.
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Cheesy Cauliflower Soup
The Cider Roasted Vegetables link to my "Pinterest" PIN
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*Powder Milk Substitute: Regarding the powdered milk, both my daughter and I have difficulty with milk... so instead of powdered milk, we substitute 3/4 cup Morning Moo® powder. It's a lactose- free milk alternative; tastes even better than {reg} powdered milk - blends just as well, but made from Whey protein.
Great News: They even make a fully Gluten Free Morning Moo variety too.
Regarding Cheese: Shredded cheese often contain GLUTEN! Plus I'm allergic to the coloring in cheese. Certain brands DO make me sick, while others haven't. Go Figure!
Labels: ClearJel (Instant), Gluten Free, Soups
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