I made a batch the other day so I figured I should share it. Turned out great. There is one thing I do different than most for the broccoli. Take knife and remove the just buds from the stalk and set them aside. Not clusters, carve only the 3/8 of a inch off the top, they will all fall apart. Just the buds (I hate to be droning) set them aside. Then take the stalk , cut it up into smaller bits and then run it through a grinder or food proccessor. I use the grinder on my Kitchen Aid(about the only thing it's good for). The stalk is where the best flavor is. I dont' bother peeling the stalk since it get ground. 4 tbl butter 3-4 tbl flour, pending on how thick you want your soup. I use 3. 5c chicken stock 3c good chedder, more if you want a bolder cheese flavor 1c heavy cream 1 garlic clove finely minced (I run it through first with the broccoli stalks) 1/2c finely chopped onion 2c ground up broccoli stalks Pinch of salt and black pepper. In a hot stock pot, melt in butter, then add flour to make a roux. Next add in onion, garlic and broccoli(minus the buds), salt and pepper, and saute' for a few mins. When flour takes on a golden color add in the chicken stock. Scrape the bottom of the pot really well. Bring to a boil then reduce heat for 10 mins. Remove soup from heat, Add in broccolli buds and stir. They will pop a brilliant grean when you wait till the end for the buds. Otherwise they will get a dark dark green. Still off heat, add in cream and whisk in cheese. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired or add more cheese if you wish. You may want to throw a splash of Frank's Red Hot in, I do sometimes. The bit of vinegar punches up the flavor a tad. Serve with toasted garlic french bread as your crouton. Serve 4-5 easily. Total cook and prep time 20 mins. Earthy tones and velvet texture. Perfect to shake off the cold. Very hearty.