Re: stock. To keep it for that long, I think I'd probably freeze it. I'd either thaw it overnight in the fridge (slower, hence overnight) or in cold water (quicker). Actually, I'd probably thaw it overnight in the fridge, then discover it still wasn't totally thawed yet, then end up thawing it in cold water, but I don't necessarily suggest going that route.
Actually, I'd probably buy a well-reviewed vegetable broth, but I'm lazy and have bad luck with making broth and stock. :-) Cooks Illustrated's favorite brand is Swanson, followed by Better than Bullion, if you decide to go that route. I've generally found their reviews quite helpful.
Generally speaking soup re-heats well, and some soups are actually better the next day. In my limited experience with soups that are very heavily potato-based, they don't tend to reheat as well as some other soups, but I think it would still probably be fine to make it Friday if that fits your schedule better. I've been eating potato, leek, and garlic soup all week now and while it's definitely not as good as when I started, it's not terrible or anything like that.
In case you didn't already know, soups with lots of potatoes in them don't generally freeze well.
Don't know anything about the blackberries, since I don't like blackberries, but Joy of Cooking suggests that they won't keep more than a day or two. They do apparently freeze well, though. If I liked blackberries I might be tempted to buy some and freeze them. The Whole Foods website suggests spreading them on a cookie sheet to freeze them so they don't freeze into a solid blackberry mass. Whole Foods' freezer is clearly much cleaner than mine. I have frozen dinners falling out every time I open the door.
I don't know if I've ever cooked rutabagas but Joy of Cooking suggests preparing them like a large turnip. Wash it, peel it, cut off any bits that don't look like you'd want to eat them. :-) Sort of like you'd treat a carrot, I expect: I don't know for sure, but since it's a root vegetable I expect there's a little stem bit somewhere, and just like a carrot, you'd want to cut that off.
You meant the peels of the potatoes? (I think you always peel rutabagas, esp. since Joy of Cooking says they're usually coated with wax to preserve them.) I'm not a big fan of peels in mashed potatoes, but if you like them, may as well leave them. I would take the peels off for the soup, though.
We have a friend who's got severe food allergies, which is why we're making the broth rather than buying. Everything in a standard veggie stock (carrots, potatoes, onions, garlic, and celery) she can eat, but not most other spices.
Oh, also we're hoping that there won't be leftover soup. Though since not everyone is being good with the RSVPs, we don't actually know. We have 10 confirmed yesses including us, two more who swear they're coming but haven't officially RSVP'd, one more probably-almost-certainly, two more possibly-probably, two more I'd-like-to-but-I-may-have-to-go-out-of-town ...
I think I might make the soup Saturday afternoon, actually, and then just keep it warm on the stove (we have a warming burner). Or bad idea? I'm trying to sort all this out, I think I'm making the cranachan Saturday morning, the soup Saturday afternoon, prep work on the haggis and the neeps and tatties Friday night (they need to sit overnight), stuff and boil the haggis Saturday afternoon (long story) ...
Can't think why making the soup and then keeping it warm wouldn't work. I've only made potato cream soups a few times, so take this with the necessary salt, but you might consider keeping it before adding the cream (on the stove, the fridge, whatever) and then adding the cream shortly before you serve it.
Hmm. Don't know about that one. Do you puree the soup before or after you add the cheese? (Do you puree the soup?) If you don't have an immersion blender pureeing it with guests around could be a pain.
I'm still sort of leaning towards adding the dairy before serving because that always seems to be the bit that does funky stuff for me, but I defer to those who have more experience with potato soups. :-)
No purée-ing, except that you purée the cheese with an equal amount of soup, then mix the purée back into the rest of the soup. But the whole soup is not puréed.
Actually, I'd probably buy a well-reviewed vegetable broth, but I'm lazy and have bad luck with making broth and stock. :-) Cooks Illustrated's favorite brand is Swanson, followed by Better than Bullion, if you decide to go that route. I've generally found their reviews quite helpful.
Generally speaking soup re-heats well, and some soups are actually better the next day. In my limited experience with soups that are very heavily potato-based, they don't tend to reheat as well as some other soups, but I think it would still probably be fine to make it Friday if that fits your schedule better. I've been eating potato, leek, and garlic soup all week now and while it's definitely not as good as when I started, it's not terrible or anything like that.
In case you didn't already know, soups with lots of potatoes in them don't generally freeze well.
Don't know anything about the blackberries, since I don't like blackberries, but Joy of Cooking suggests that they won't keep more than a day or two. They do apparently freeze well, though. If I liked blackberries I might be tempted to buy some and freeze them. The Whole Foods website suggests spreading them on a cookie sheet to freeze them so they don't freeze into a solid blackberry mass. Whole Foods' freezer is clearly much cleaner than mine. I have frozen dinners falling out every time I open the door.
I don't know if I've ever cooked rutabagas but Joy of Cooking suggests preparing them like a large turnip. Wash it, peel it, cut off any bits that don't look like you'd want to eat them. :-) Sort of like you'd treat a carrot, I expect: I don't know for sure, but since it's a root vegetable I expect there's a little stem bit somewhere, and just like a carrot, you'd want to cut that off.
You meant the peels of the potatoes? (I think you always peel rutabagas, esp. since Joy of Cooking says they're usually coated with wax to preserve them.) I'm not a big fan of peels in mashed potatoes, but if you like them, may as well leave them. I would take the peels off for the soup, though.
YMMV. :-)
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I think I might make the soup Saturday afternoon, actually, and then just keep it warm on the stove (we have a warming burner). Or bad idea? I'm trying to sort all this out, I think I'm making the cranachan Saturday morning, the soup Saturday afternoon, prep work on the haggis and the neeps and tatties Friday night (they need to sit overnight), stuff and boil the haggis Saturday afternoon (long story) ...
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I'm still sort of leaning towards adding the dairy before serving because that always seems to be the bit that does funky stuff for me, but I defer to those who have more experience with potato soups. :-)
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