Fifty soups — Reading Companion

Classifying Soups by Menu and Season

Murrey's opening remarks establish a principle that guides the entire collection: the soup must suit the occasion. He advises readers to first plan the full bill of fare, then choose a soup that balances the meal. For large parties, he recommends serving both a light and a heavy soup. This emphasis on harmony—comparing the arrangement of dishes to preparing colors for a painting—shows that Murrey views soup not as a standalone course but as part of a coordinated dining experience.

The four-class system (clear, thick, purées or bisques, and chowders) gives the cook a framework for understanding the recipes that follow. Clear soups are "the juices of meats, served in a convenient and appetizing form," while chowders are distinct compounds that avoid being reduced to a purée. By defining these categories upfront, Murrey helps the reader navigate the fifty recipes with a sense of purpose.

Technique in the Recipes: Stock, Thickening, and Seasoning

The recipes assume a working knowledge of basic kitchen skills. For example, the Oxtail Soup recipe instructs the cook to fry oxtail joints in butter, then slice and fry onions, turnip, carrots, and celery in the same fat before adding stock. The soup is thickened with browned flour, a technique also used in the Mock Turtle Soup recipe, where three ounces of browned flour are mixed with a pint of soup and simmered until it thickens.

Seasoning is precise and layered. In Mulligatawny Soup, curry powder is mixed with a half pint of stock before being added to the main pot, and the cook is told to "taste for seasoning" after adding the curry. Oxtail Soup calls for a bouquet of herbs, two bay-leaves, crushed whole peppers, cloves, and a finishing touch of Worcestershire sauce and sherry. These details reveal a cook who expects the reader to adjust flavors rather than follow a rigid formula.

The Role of Wine, Lemon, and Finishing Touches

Several recipes include wine or lemon as a final addition, often with a note about warming the wine or adding it just before serving. In Mock Turtle Soup, a gobletful of port or sherry is warmed "a very little" before being stirred in, along with sliced lemons. The Mulligatawny recipe mentions that some like wine, "but these are the exception and not the rule," and instead adds half a slice of lemon to each portion.

Lemon appears in other contexts as well: the Oxtail Soup recipe does not call for lemon, but the Mock Turtle uses lemon rind grated into the stock. The Oyster Soup recipe warns not to let the soup boil again after adding the oysters, as heat will contract them. These small instructions—warming wine, parboiling rice, wetting the pan to prevent milk from scorching—show Murrey's attention to the moments that can make or break a soup.

Variations and Substitutions as a Core Principle

Murrey often suggests substitutions within a recipe, encouraging the cook to adapt. After the Mutton Broth recipe, he writes: "Substitute a knuckle of veal for mutton, and you will have an excellent veal broth." This simple swap implies that the method—cutting meat, simmering with vegetables, skimming scum—can be applied to different proteins. Similarly, the recipe for Cream of Rice is listed alongside Cream Soup, and the contents page shows multiple chicken soup entries (Chicken Soup and Chicken Soup, no. 2), indicating that the cook can choose between variations.

The book's structure, with fifty distinct recipes but shared techniques, reinforces this idea. A reader who masters the basic stock and thickening methods can then experiment with the specific ingredients—artichoke, chestnut, clam, or rabbit—that Murrey includes. The eighth edition's longevity suggests that this flexible approach appealed to home cooks and professional caterers alike.

Reading Fifty Soups from start to finish reveals a methodical mind at work. Murrey does not simply list ingredients; he teaches a system of balancing flavors, adjusting for season, and substituting ingredients. The excerpts show a cook who trusts the reader to taste and adjust, whether by adding more curry powder or choosing between wine and lemon. For a first reading, pay attention to the opening classification and the recurring techniques—browned flour, fried vegetables, careful skimming—that tie the fifty recipes together. The book rewards a cook who reads it as a manual, not just a collection.

Leafing through Murrey's precise oxtail and mulligatawny instructions, I felt that steady, patient hand guiding each pot. It reminded me of another volume, one brimming with familiar warmth and measured steps for dumplings and roasts, sitting quietly on my shelf. The Art of German Cooking and Baking Revised and Enlarged Edition — Reading Companion holds that same reassuring clarity, as if an old friend were simply talking me through the flour and broth.