Souperb Ideas For Summer
Summer is the perfect time for soup. Chilled soup, that is. Most of us think of soup as the start to a meal, or a single hearty helping to warm our bodies from the winter chill. Soup can be equally satisfying when cold and just as effective to soothe us from the summer sizzle. With all the seasonal produce available, it is easy to prepare and often healthy to eat. Cold soup can be served as a first course, main course, or even dessert. Some soups are cooked first then chilled, while others are merely blended raw and refrigerated prior to service. There are dozens of recipes worth trying that will both fill you up and cool you down on a hot summer day.
Cold Classics
The most classic chilled soup is probably Vichyssoise, a potato and leek soup made with cream. In spite of its French name, Vichyssoise was said to have been invented in New York almost a century ago by a chef from Vichy, France. As the story goes, Ritz-Carlton Chef de Cuisine Louis Diat failed to warm his potato and leek soup in time for an important dinner, so like any chef in such a situation he improvised. He added some cream and chives and served the soup cold. It was such a hit, that he named it after his hometown.
Another standard in chilled soups is Borscht, a soup of Eastern European and Russian origin made almost entirely of beets, also served warm. Since beet root was very inexpensive, this was a dish consumed by the poor. In America, borscht is a staple in Ashkenazi (Eastern European) Jewish cuisine, among others, and can be made dozens of ways. This soup is often made with beef bones and served hot, but it is deliciously sweet and satisfying this time of year when made in a blender with sour cream and gulped from a glass. Hot pink and bedecked with fresh dill, this is ultimately a decadent dish.
Cooked v. Raw
Many soups that are traditionally served hot in the winter also may be enjoyed chilled in the summer. Pea soup, for example, is a cold weather standby that has many chilled incarnations. Fresh mint is a traditional accompaniment to sweet peas, as is cream and chives. Celeriac soup can be cooked and then chilled, served with seafood or sliced smoked salmon, a new twist on a familiar pairing (celeriac is the main ingredient in remoulade, which is a frequent accompaniment to smoked salmon). Tomato soup is a favorite with grilled cheese in cold weather, but it is equally good chilled alongside a fresh salad during warmer months.
There are many elegant summer soups that are made with raw ingredients in a blender, never needing to be cooked or heated prior to refrigerating. Gazpacho, the Spanish vegetable soup, is traditionally made by blending tomatoes, olive oil and vinegar, then adding a variety of finely diced vegetables. Creamy cucumber soup is the perfect antidote to a balmy afternoon. Raw soups can even make a delicious and unexpected dessert. Melon soup with a scoop of raspberry sorbet is lightly refreshing and simple to prepare. One of my favorite dessert soups is pureed strawberry with pound cake croutons – a fun change of pace from the typical preparation of strawberry shortcake that kids of all ages will enjoy.
Ready to Serve
Chilled soups are almost as fun to serve as they are to eat... or drink. A bowl will do just fine, but so will a fancy piece of stemware like a martini glass. When serving melon soup, use the empty melon rinds as vessels. Garnishes are fresh and simple in the summer. Snipped herbs, sour cream, and fresh vegetables will make a big impression with little effort. Remember that a chilled soup should be cold, the same way a warm soup should be hot. No one enjoys soup when the intended temperature is not intense.
Try one of my recipes for easy entertaining or just a simple, satisfying meal. Sometimes it's nice to assemble food, and not actually cook it, when it is hot and humid. Soup's on this summer!
Made with sour cream, pound cake, strawberries, frozen strawberries, vanilla ice cream, half and half, lemon juice
Serves/Makes: 4
- 3 cups fresh strawberries
- OR
- 4 cups frozen strawberries
- 1 quart vanilla ice cream, slightly softened
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 slice (1/2-inch size) pound cake, cubed
- sour cream, for garnish
Combine first 4 ingredients in large bowl, stirring well. Process the mixture in a blender in two batched until smooth.
Return the cold soup to the large bowl. Serve immediately, ladling soup into individual bowls. Garnish with sour cream and pound cake croutons.
NOTE: Frozen yogurt may be substituted for the ice cream.
Made with salt and pepper, heavy cream, onion, butter, peas, chicken stock or water, fresh mint
Serves/Makes: 6
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 pounds frozen peas
- 6 cups chicken stock or water
- 1 cup packed fresh mint leaves, washed
- 1 cup heavy cream
- salt and pepper, to taste
In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter until it foams. Add the chopped onion and salt to taste, cooking over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the peas and half the chicken stock and simmer uncovered until the peas are tender and warm, about 5 minutes. Stir in the mint and the remaining stock.
Remove the pan from the heat. Using a blender, puree the soup in batches until very smooth. (Be careful when working with hot liquids in a blender: place a cloth over the blender lid to avoid an explosion.) Push each batch of soup through a sieve until only the dry solids remain. Discard the solids with each batch. Add the cream and salt and pepper to taste to the pureed and strained soup.
Chill covered in the refrigerator until ice cold before serving.
Yogurt or sour cream may be substituted for part of the cream quantity, or used as a garnish. The soup may be made up to one day in advance; the mixture will thicken as it sits in the refrigerator. Thin with stick or more cream, if desired.
Made with fresh dill, beets, chicken stock, onion, lemon, salt, sugar, sour cream
Serves/Makes: 4
- 1 can (16 ounce size) beets, liquid reserved
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 container (8 ounce size) sour cream
- fresh dill
Blend the first 6 ingredients (including the liquid from the canned beets) in the blender for about 1 minute, or until smooth.
Pour 1 cup of the soup into a large bowl with half the sour cream and blend until smooth. Then add the remaining soup from the blender and stir until thoroughly mixed.
Chill overnight. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and lots of chopped fresh dill.
Yogurt may be substituted for the sour cream.
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