COLE'S COOKING A TO Z by Annette Gooch

If there's a chicken soup for the soul, it must be consomme: sparkling clear and fat-free, with scarcely more calories than water.

The body, however, has rather more sensory criteria for chicken soup, preferring versions that are aromatic, palate-pleasing, easily digested, compatible with other foods, and, above all, convenient to prepare.

SUCCESS TIP

— To defat canned chicken broth, refrigerate or freeze the container until the fat congeals at the top. Lift off and discard the fat before using the broth.

The base for this flavourful, satisfying chicken soup is bechamel, a simple white sauce. In this recipe, the sauce is thinned and well-seasoned with your favourite curry powder, salt and pepper before being mixed with the diced chicken.

CURRIED CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP

¼ cup butter

¼ cup flour

2 cups half-and-half or milk

2 cups chicken broth

2 teaspoons curry powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon white pepper

2 cups diced poached chicken

1 lemon, sliced paper-thin, for garnish

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour and cook just until golden (approximately three to four minutes).

2. Reduce heat and pour in half-and-half and chicken broth, whisking constantly until texture is smooth and velvety (approximately five minutes). Add curry powder, salt and pepper. Adjust seasonings if necessary.

3. Add diced chicken; heat through. Garnish with thin slices of lemon.

Serves four.

Potatoes, garlic and a touch of fontina cheese enrich this Sicilian spin on cream of chicken soup.

To prepare it up to four hours ahead, prepare the soup through step two and refrigerate it. About half an hour before you plan to serve the soup, reheat it over medium heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.

CREAMY CHICKEN SOUP WITH POTATO AND GARLIC

5 cups chicken broth

1 cup peeled and diced raw potato

3 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup sliced garlic

½ cup minced onion

½ cup whipping cream or half-and-half

½ cup milk

½ teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes

2 ounces fontina cheese, grated

Coarse salt

1. Combine broth and potato in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook gently 10 minutes.

2. While broth is simmering, heat olive oil in a large saucepan over moderately low heat. Add garlic and onion; sauté gently for ten minutes.

Do not allow garlic and onion to brown. Add broth and potato and simmer 20 minutes, covered. Working in batches, transfer potato mixture to a blender along with the cream, milk and red-pepper flakes. Blend until smooth.

3. Put potato mixture in a clean, large saucepan. Add two tablespoons of the fontina and reheat over medium-high heat, stirring until cheese melts and mixture is nearly boiling.

Add salt to taste. Serve immediately, garnishing each portion with some of the remaining fontina.

Serves four.

With avocados available year around, this lovely pale green elixir can be made in any season and served warm or chilled. Laced with cream and sherry, this soup reflects the French influences found throughout Mexican cuisine.

Before you start to prepare the soup, have all the ingredients prepared and measured. Heat the serving bowls or a tureen by filling them with very hot water or placing them in a warming oven to heat through. Have the broth piping hot.

CREAM OF CHICKEN AND AVOCADO SOUP

2 large, ripe avocados, halved

1 cup half-and-half

1 tablespoon fresh lime or lemon juice

¼ teaspoon salt

2 cups hot chicken broth

¼ cup dry sherry

Thin lime slices, for garnish

1. Scoop the avocado flesh from the peels and place it in a blender or food processor together with the half-and-half, lime juice and salt. Blend to a smooth puree.

2. Pour the puree into warmed serving bowls or a tureen. Slowly stir in the hot broth, followed by the sherry, whisking to blend the ingredients.

3. Garnish each individual serving with a thin slice of lime. If the soup requires reheating, use a double boiler.

Serves 4.

For additional culinary information and recipes from Cole's Cooking A to Z, e-mail AtoZ[AT]culinarysocietyofamerica.com.