souper delicious!

cream of broccoli soup. believe it or not, this was my maiden voyage into cream of broccoli soupdom. somewhat surprised by the amount of milk & cream some recipes required, i adapted my own recipe and added a bit of veggie stock. don't get loco with the queso, the soup doesn't need it. sweet with my signature snap of cayenne, this soup was soul warming and, i am pretty sure, the best c.o.b.s. that you’ll ever eat. here’s how;

you’ll need:

2 pounds fresh broccoli (i bought broccoli crowns b/c they were on sale)
4 tablespoons butter
2-3 cloves of fresh garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon white pepper
3 cups milk, divided (use what you have on hand)
1 medium egg yolk, beaten
¼ cup flour
2 pinches of cardamom, ground
2 pinches of cayenne pepper, ground
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup veggie stock
⅓ cup Gruyere cheese (fresh, finely grated)

you’ll do:

1. cut broccoli into bite-size pieces. use tender leaves and stems. 
2. place broccoli and ½ cup of water in a casserole type dish, cover w lid or plastic wrap. steam the cut broccoli for 6-8 minutes in a microwave, checking every 2 minutes, just until bright green in color. do not overcook. 
3. cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, for another 10 minutes or until the broccoli becomes AL DENTE.
   
   
4. mash the broccoli right in the dutch oven until no large pieces remain. use a potato masher. you will be met with some resistance. use your muscles, that is why you have them. mash until there are no pieces remaining that are too big to fit on a soup spoon. remove from dutch oven & place back into container you steamed it in. set aside.
5. while broccoli is cooking, add beaten egg yolk to 2 cups of milk.
6. put 3 tablespoons butter into the same used/dirty dutch oven, no need to wash it. melt butter and add flour. stir. as the flour begins to cook, add the egg/milk mixture into the saucepan. add the cardamom & white pepper. stir contents of saucepan constantly with wooden spoon until thick. lower the cooking heat.
7. empty the mashed broccoli mixture into the saucepan. stir until well-mixed. slowly stir in the remaining milk, cream & veggie stock. as the soup becomes warm, add the grated cheeses. taste, add salt and a pinch of cayenne.  
8. turn the heat to low and simmer for about 5 more minutes. do not allow to boil.