Why it works: Leek and celery match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,093 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓
Austrian Cream Cheese Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Make the soup base
Melt butter in a Dutch oven.
Add leeks and celery; sauté until tender.
Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes.
Stir in broth, 3 cups water, and salt; bring to a boil.
Reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
Add the cream cheese and finish
Microwave cream cheese and yogurt in a 2-quart microwave-safe bowl at HIGH for 15 to 20 seconds or until warm; whisk until smooth.
Whisk in egg yolks; gradually whisk in 2 cups leek mixture.
Stir cream cheese mixture and pepper into leek mixture.
Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly heated. (Do not boil.)
Sprinkle with chives, if desired.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 11 of 12 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 11 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Chicken | 100g cooked | 165 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Yogurt | 170g plain Greek | 100 |
| Cream Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 99 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Celery | 1 stalk (40g) | 6 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Chives | 1 tbsp (3g) | 1 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Leek + celerytop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,093 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
-
Butter + cream cheesetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,747 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
-
Leek + flourtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together328 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Cream cheese + yogurttop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together873 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
-
Leek + chickentop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together165 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl butyrate (apple, fruity).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Leeks
- Provide the soup's main body and mild onion-like flavor as they soften.
- Butter
- Adds richness and carries flavor while cooking the vegetables.
- All-purpose flour
- Cooks with the butter to form a roux that thickens the broth.
- Chicken broth
- Forms the liquid base of the soup.
- Cream cheese
- Gives the soup its creamy body and rich texture.
- Egg yolks
- Enrich and thicken the soup, adding smoothness and richness.
The step that matters
Adding the egg yolks and cream cheese. Egg yolks can curdle or scramble if the mixture gets too hot. Warming the cream cheese first and keeping the heat low after adding it helps keep the soup smooth. Do not let it boil.
Swap the celery
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (leek, butter, flour, chicken, cream cheese, yogurt, egg):
- Capersfits better
- Garlicfits better
- Nutmegfits better
- Celerythe original
Fit is the average pairing score against leek, butter, flour, chicken, cream cheese, yogurt, egg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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