Made CL's Cheddar Chicken Chowder before, but this time kind of blah, could it be...

[applecrisp]

I've made this soup before and I remember liking it.... in fact I rated it "very good - excellent" in my notes. It's been a few years since I made it though.

Tonight I made a batch and its kind of bland. The only changes that I can recall.... was a bit short of the chicken broth by about a 1/4 cup. That wouldn't do anything. However I usually use a canned broth (low salt/fat) but this time I used a carton of TJ's Organic (low sodium/fat free). First time using TJ's brand. Don't know if that contributed?

I'm thinking that last time, I probably bought a block of cheddar and grated it in the processor. This time, I had a free coupon for Cabot cheese and I took the lazy route and bought it already shredded. But it was 50% light. Bingo right No way that compares to a good ol' sharp cheddar. And, I always prefer shredding any cheese myself, grrrrrrr.

I didn't use bacon, but didn't use it before.

Anything to do to jazz it up? The only "spices" in the recipes are salt, pepper and garlic, and I used as specified.

Thanks,

Cheddar Chicken Chowder
From Cooking Light


Tip: Buy skinned, boned chicken breasts and preshredded cheese.

2 bacon slices
Cooking spray
1 pound skinned, boned chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup diced red bell pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 1/2 cups fat-free chicken broth
1 3/4 cups diced peeled red potatoes
2 1/4 cups frozen whole-kernel corn
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups 2% low-fat milk
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Cook bacon in a Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan. Crumble; set aside. Add chicken, onion, bell pepper, and garlic to bacon fat in pan; sauté 5 minutes. Add broth and potatoes; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add corn; stir well.
Place flour in a bowl. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended; add to soup. Cook over medium heat 15 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently. Stir in cheese, salt, and pepper. Top with crumbled bacon.

Yield: 7 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 306(22% from fat); FAT 7.5g(sat 4g,mono 2.2g,poly 0.6g); PROTEIN 25g; CHOLESTEROL 58mg; CALCIUM 193mg; SODIUM 376mg; FIBER 2.9g; IRON 1.6mg; CARBOHYDRATE 33.7g

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 1996

[Canice]

I think the two most likely culprits are the cheese and your taste buds. I've definitely made a recipe again after a long time and been really surprised that I once liked it. But still...50% light cheese <shudder>. J/K said the cheese freak.

Things I would consider adding to it:

Roasted poblanos or a can of chopped jalapeños
Green onions
Thyme
A few shots of hot sauce
Squeeze of lime juice
Pesto or cilantro pesto

[applecrisp]

Canice,

It could have been worse, I could have grabbed the rubber...... oh I mean 75%. I never go for that super reduced stuff, I didn't realize I had it until I was cooking tonight.

Now I have 7 servings of the soup.

I have repeated recipes, and for some reason end up not caring for it the next time. I'm thinking its the cheese.

Thanks for the ideas... I will definitely start with some green onions or maybe some chives. And, go from there. Hmmm, maybe I'll buy a small amount of super sharp cheddar to grate on top. More cheese, what could be bad with that.

Or, I could buy some awesome bread at the farmers market, and some local goat cheese, and let the soup be the minor player.

Thanks for the help.

[Canice]

I have to say that the most important soup lesson I ever learned was that if it tastes flat, don't go for the salt shaker, but for some acid. Since hot sauce is vinegar-based you get two flavor boosters at once. I love RG's Rio Fuego hot sauce, made with pear vinegar and a LOT of heat. Just a few drops can really boost a soup or sauce.

[applecrisp]

I don't think I have any hot sauce on hand...... but I have lemons and limes. So will add some citrus.

Just a bummer to go thru the time and expense for some blah soup.

Next soup up is one of my favs, Roasted Pear-Butternut Soup with Crumbled Stilton from Eating Well Magazine. That I know I love.

Thanks.

[Canice]

I know, it's disappointing and annoying. But BN squash and stilton? YUM.

[kwormann]

Ok, its 7am and this thread totally has my mouth watering and wanting soup!!!!!!!!!!!

[Sheila in MD]

I don't like TJ's broth...I have used it before and think it has very little flavor. I just made that soup a couple of weeks ago for the first time..I did use Cabot 50% reduced fat sharp cheddar and I thought it was great! I did great mine myself though...

Sheila in MD

[VAcooker]

I always use extra sharp cheddar and add cumin and chipotle chili powder to the soup and sometimes regular chili powder as well (I usually also spice up the chicken with a sprinkling of cumin and chili powder prior to adding it to the pot). I also use TJ's frozen roasted corn.

I really like this recipe but have always felt that it needed more spice to it, which is why I add some...

[bobmark226]

I do the chipotle powder like Kim does or sometimes just cayenne, but more often than not, with any corn chowder, I finely chop a serrano (or jalapeno) or two with seeds and put it in at the beginning.

Bob

[applecrisp]

Thanks everyone for all the ideas --- I will try some of the different flavor suggestions to jazz it up a bit. I have 7 individual servings to play around with. I certainly didn't want to toss the soup, so looking forward to flavor it up.

Great ideas to use next time from the get go.

Thanks again.

[TieKitty]

I made this soup the other night and didn't realize I had left out the corn until the next day. It was still very good.

I added 2 diced jalapenos with some seeds (we like spicy), some cumin and cayenne pepper. I didn't add salt because I thought the chicken stock had enough (I used the 33% less sodium). I used 2% shredded cheddar. It melted very well and the soup was really good. It may not have been as good as using full-fat cheddar, but I try to cut the fat content in foods I make.

[dneilson]

applecrisp,


Did you make this with FRESH corn last time AND this time?

It's taken me a long time to discover that undersalting is the most common reason for flat tasting food. Even ice cream w/out salt is flat (regardless the quality of the cream). Cooking pasta in unsalted water is a good example of this. I have overlooked the obvious more than once in search of a missing flavor component...to my chagrin, turned out to be salt.

To test, I've learned the hard way that removing a 1/4 cup or so and making flavor changes to the small amt is less risky. Then if my adjustment wasn't successful, only a small amount is discarded. If they do (work), I adjust proportionate to the larger amount.

I do not mean to insult anyone's culinary prowess with my suggestion. Your culinary aptitude is apparent by your postings here on the BB.

Dolores

[Shugness]

I'm going to save that for my winter soups/stews/chowders to try. Not having made it or ate it I'm not exactly sure what it would taste like as is, but one jazz up suggestion that hasn't been mentioned would be to add half an envelope of make-it-yourself ranch dressing mix. Don't *make* the dressing as in mixing it with milk and mayo, just mix in the powder. May sound crazy but it's a secret ingredient I put in my taco soup and in my loaded baked potato soup and it adds a nice flavor. Don't add to much or it will be too salty.

[Laurielee]

Roasted Pear-Butternut Soup with Crumbled Stilton from Eating Well Magazine

Can you please post this recipe? I tried finding it on EW and wasn't able to . Lookslike they changed their search engine

Laurie

[Mpenny1001]

Originally Posted by TieKitty

I made this soup the other night and didn't realize I had left out the corn until the next day. It was still very good.

I did that once! 4 year old DD was the one who noticed. I told her it was Chicken Corn Chowder and she stuck her little face right up to her bowl, stirred it around, looked at me with a frown and said, "But Mama! You didn't give me any corn!!"

I agree it was still tasty without it, but I added the corn to the leftovers anyway!

[applecrisp]

Thanks everyone for the input --- now that I think about it, I used WF frozen corn (usually use TJ's), used TJ's broth (never tried before and won't buy again), and I usually grate a cheddar cheese, but this time used pre-grated and a low fat.


Laurielee--

Here's the soup recipe. Super easy to make. The cheese really makes it great.

Roasted Pear-Butternut Soup with Crumbled Stilton from Eating Well Magazine

Stilton cheese and pears are a classic combination—the salty milky blue cheese balances the sweet, floral taste of the pears. Roasting the pears and the butternut squash caramelizes their sugar, maximizing their inherent sweetness. You can serve this creamy soup as a first course or with a salad and crusty bread for a light autumn supper.

2 ripe pears, peeled, quartered and cored
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 2-inch chunks
2 medium tomatoes, cored and quartered
1 large leek, pale green and white parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced and washed thoroughly --- used a Vidalia onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
Freshly ground pepper to taste
4 cups vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
2/3 cup crumbled Stilton or other blue-veined cheese
1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh chives or scallion greens (I didn’t use)

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Combine pears, squash, tomatoes, leek, garlic, oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper in a large bowl; toss to coat. Spread evenly on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 40 to 55 minutes. Let cool slightly.
3. Place half the vegetables and 2 cups broth in a blender; puree until smooth. Transfer to a large saucepan. Puree the remaining vegetables and 2 cups broth. Add to the pan and stir in the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.
4. Cook the soup over medium-low heat, stirring, until hot, about 10 minutes. Divide among 6 bowls and garnish with cheese and chives (or scallion greens).

Per serving: 236 calories; 10 g fat (4 g sat, 5 g mono); 11 mg cholesterol; 34 g carbohydrate; 6 g protein; 6 g fiber; 721 mg sodium; 721 mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Vitamin A (350% daily value), Vitamin C (70% dv), Potassium (21% dv), Calcium (20% dv).

To make ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month. Add more broth when reheating, if desired.

Yield: 6 servings, 1 1/3 cups each
Active Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 1/4 hours
Ease of preparation: Easy
To make ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month. Add more broth when reheating, if desired

[karen w]

It's been awhile since I bought it, but I never liked TJ's broth either. Not sure if that might be one of the culprits, but I see that I am not alone in my dislike of their broth.

Karen

[KCSoccer]

Originally Posted by applecrisp

Here's the soup recipe. Super easy to make. The cheese really makes it great.

Roasted Pear-Butternut Soup with Crumbled Stilton from Eating Well Magazine

I was at home yesterday recovering from sinus issues, and I actually had all the ingredients for this soup so I made it for lunch. YUMMY! It was rich and creamy without any cream. The only change I made was to add 1 tsp. lemon juice at the end (thanks, Canice, for the tip).

Thank you, applecrisp, for the recipe.

[Andrea_2]

I was just reading a Cook's Illustrated article comparing various brands of chicken broth, and the Trader Joe's brand got terrible reviews. Sounds likely that the chicken broth was part of the problem, although low-fat cheese probably didn't help either.

I often have the experience of not liking a recipe the second time I make it after previously giving it a good score. I still haven't necessarily figured out why that happens, but I do think my tastes change over time.

[applecrisp]

Thanks for the info on TJ's broth review by CI. The other carton I bought is going back. So, it looks like it was a combo of reasons.

KCSoccer --- So glad that you enjoyed the Butternut Squash recipe. I love it, plus I love how easy it is to make.

Thanks again everyone for input and help. I did add some cumiin, lime juice etc to one of the portions and it did up the taste.

Onto the next soup.