Tomato soup and turkey burgers

April 5, 2011 1:29 PM

Questions regarding the execution of a specific cream of tomato soup, as well as more general questions regarding turkey burgers.

I'm going to be making this soup tonight. My questions are:
1. Should I let it cool before I stir in the cream? If so, how much?
2. Is there any reason not to strain it before adding the cream? Especially since it seems like straining it is a natural way to cool it quite a bit.

For the turkey burgers, I'm taking my guidelines from this recipe, but as I come from a long line of pansy-tongued midwesterners, I'm neutering much of its heat. I'm keeping the aioli, but I'm curious about things like adding eggs to the meat. How much does that help, and what does it help?

If I strip the patties down to:
-meat
-eggs
-curry powder

Is that likely to be ok? I mean they'll essentially be lightly spiced turkey patties, which are most usually cooked at home as just patties of meat, right?

Finally, any thoughts on beverages to make available with it? The soup will be fairly sweet and rich, while the burgers should theoretically end up rich and somewhat aromatic. It's tough to think of a wine that would work - I was thinking maybe even a hard cider?

Thanks in advance!

posted by kavasa to Food & Drink (6 answers total)

Best answer: When I make a soup with cream, I always let it cool for about 5 minutes before adding the cream (and other finishing touches like salt, pepper, garnish). Then I blend it in a blender (I haven't used a food mill, but I assume the same principles apply). Then I return it to the pot, and only then do I stir in the cream and reheat. That's what most if not all other recipes I've seen say to do. Like you, I see no reason to add dairy before straining. Here's an example of a recipe that follows what I consider the normal procedure.
posted by John Cohen at 1:38 PM on April 5, 2011

Best answer: The egg in the turkey burgers will help bind the meat (like say in a meatloaf) and give it some much needed fat.
posted by royalsong at 1:39 PM on April 5, 2011 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I think you should keep the veggies in the burgers, at least the onion. Both for flavor, and also to help with texture. The egg will help to bind the burgers together, but could make them a bit tough too without anything else in there.
posted by cabingirl at 1:41 PM on April 5, 2011

Response by poster: Thanks everyone!

John - interesting. I don't have a food mill and was just going to press the soup through a sieve. Since I don't have a food mill, should I run it through a blender or a food processor before I strain it? Or will simple straining be sufficient?
posted by kavasa at 2:01 PM on April 5, 2011

Best answer: If you're concerned about the cream curdling or something from adding it to hot soup, don't worry. As long as it's really cream, and not milk or half-and-half, it won't.

However, reading over the recipe, it seems odd to me to add the cream before processing it through the food mill. The food mill will strain out the skins and seeds while pureeing the soup. If you don't have an actual food mill, you'll get the same thing by pureeing the soup in a blender or food processor, then pushing it through a fine strainer. Either way, to me it makes more sense to puree/strain the soup before adding the cream.
posted by dnash at 2:03 PM on April 5, 2011

Response by poster: Excellent! That is exactly what I will do.
posted by kavasa at 2:04 PM on April 5, 2011