This amazing Brandied Cider soup makes a hearty meal on its own or an elegant starter!
This soup was born when I had extra sauce from making a big batch of Brandied French Chicken. You can check it out here in case you want to make both. If you are really just looking for a soup you can make your own base by following the recipe below.
If you have the leftover sauce it only takes a few minutes to add additional broth and heat up. If you are making the soup base it will take about 35 minutes to cook. You have the choice to add a pastry topping of not. If you decide to use the puff pastry it will take another 35 minutes to bake the soup with the pastry in the oven.
This soup is very rich. It is hearty enough to serve as a main meal with some crusty rolls. Or, optionally, you can make a puff pastry topping and bake it in the oven. I love the puff pastry version. It reminds me of the richness of those yummy Lobster Bisques you get with the pastry topping. Must be the brandy!
Ingredients
Left Over Soup Base
- 2 cups leftover sauce from Brandied French Chicken
- 3 cups chicken broth can substitute mushroom broth
- OR
No Leftover Sauce
- 1 medium onion finely diced
- 1 clove garlic
- 4 oz sliced cremini mushrooms roughly chopped
- 2 Tbsps butter
- 2 Tbsps flour
- 3 cups chicken broth best quality you can get
- 1 cup apple cider
- ¼ cup brandy
- 4 oz hard cider
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup 10% cream divided ¼ + ¼
- 1 ½ tablespoon corn starch
Topping
- 1 pkg puff pastry at room temperature optional
Instructions
Leftover Sauce
- Combine leftover sauce and broth and heat through in a saucepan over medium heat.
No Leftover Sauce
- Melt butter in bottom of large sauce pan. Add onions and cook over medium heat about 5 minutes. Add mushroom bits and cook another 5 minutes or so. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir until the flour is moistened and coats the vegetables.
- Add broth and simmer about 5 minutes.
- Add brandy and cider and pepper and simmer 10 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium low. Add salt and ¼ cup of cream and heat through. Do not boil.
- Put corn starch in a small dish and dissolve with remaining ¼ cup of cream. Add cornstarch mixture and salt to the mixture and stir until mixtures thickens.
- You can serve in soup bowls as is or add a puff pastry topping as per below.
Topping (Optional)
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Roll out puff pastry. Use the soup bowl to cut out puff pastry pieces the size and shape of the mouth of the bowl.
- Spray 4 oven proof soup bowls with cooking spray. Fill the soup bowl with soup. Leave ½"-1" clearance at top of the bowl.
- Top the bowl with puff pastry. Press the dough onto the rim of the bowl to secure it. Cut a slit in the center to allow steam to vent.
- Bake about 35 minutes until pastry is done and golden brown.
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