Unless I had tasted this soup at La Bonne SoupeÂs NYC bistro, I would have never even tried a recipe with a quart of sour cream! But itÂs always a hit for a summer luncheon or tea. Sometimes I add a little chopped fresh dill and garnish with a sprig of dill instead of the basil.

COLD CORAL SOUP

3 large cucumbers
1 small onion, sliced
1 cup tomato juice
1 Tbs. tomato paste
1 cup chicken broth
1 quart sour cream
1/ 4 cup dry fino sherry
12 small fresh basil leaves for garnish

Peel the cucumbers and slice in half lengthwise. Spoon out and discard the seeds. Cut into chunks and place the cucumbers in a blender or food processor. Add the onion, tomato juice, and tomato paste, and process until pureed.

Pour the mixture into a large bowl, add the broth, then whisk in the sour cream and sherry, beating until well incorporated. Cover and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours.

Lade into chilled soup bowl and float 2 or 3 basil leaves in each. Makes 4 to 6 servings

Source: La Bonne Soupe cookbook

Although the recipes says you can use herbs instead of the ginger, I like the ginger flavor so much that I've never made it without it.

GINGERED CARROT SOUP

1 cup thinly sliced leeks (about 2 large)
2 Tbs. butter
1/ 2 cup chopped onions
3/ 4 lb. baby carrots, cut in halves
2 1/ 2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
1/ 2 lb. potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1/ 2 tsp. Salt
1/ 2 tsp. Pepper
1 1/ 2 cups chicken broth
3 cups whole milk

Melt butter in soup pot. Add leeks and onions and sauté until wilted and translucent. Add carrots, ginger and potatoes. Saute and stir several minutes. Add remaining ingredients except for milk; cover and simmer until vegetables are very tender and easily mashed with a fork (about 15 minutes). Puree in blender or food processor. Blend in milk and chill thoroughly. Serve in chilled soup bowl or cups. Garnish each serving with minced fresh chives or parsley.

Note: Can also be served warm. Can substitute fresh dill, tarragon, or herbs of your choice for the ginger.

ruthana--i am intrigued by the cucumber/sour cream recipe! even though sometimes i am drawn to a recipe just because it sounds odd enough to be worth trying something different, i will freely admit that i would have SOB if you hadn't said it was tried and true. but i still have to ask--do you actually use an entire QUART of sour cream? i just know i'm gonna have to try this...

If the recipe said "2 pint containers of sour cream", it seems a lot more reasonable. LOL I usually use one regular and one low-fat (but not fat free). In summertime, I substitute a cup of pureed peeled and seeded tomatoes for the juice to give it a fresher flavor.

The dominant flavor is the cucumbers rather than the sour cream and their liquid thins it down quite a bit.

You could try a half recipe to see how you like it. That's one container of sour cream.

CHILLED TOMATO SOUP W/AVOCADO CREAM (serves 8)
Soup:
2 cups chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped carrots
1 TBL crushed garlic
1/4 cup canola oil
4 cups chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne
4 lbs tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped or two 28 oz can chopped tomatoes, drained

Avocado Cream
2 very ripe avocados, chopped
2/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt

Garnish: chopped green onions

For the soup, saute the onions, carrots & garlic in the heated oil in a large saucepan over medium heat for 15 minutes or until tender. Stir in the broth, salt & cayenne. Simmer 30 minutes. Increase the heat & add the tomatoes. Cook 10 minutes longer.
Puree the mixture in batches in a processor. Combine in a bowl & cover. Chill up to 24 hours.

For the avocado cream, combine the avocados, sour cream, cream, lemon juice & salt in a processor & process until smooth. Spoon into a bowl & chill, covered until serving time.
To serve, ladle the soup into chilled bowls & spoon 1 or 2 TBL of the avocado cream over the top. Garnish with chopped green oinions.~~Oh My Stars

oh my--thanx ginger! that sounds wonderful too! you know how hard it is to get reasonably priced AND decent tomatoes in your neck of the woods? that is pretty much what it's like out here in the backwoods of NH when trying to find an avocado. be that as it may, i am copying and pasting this--it sounds terrific to me!

Hope you get to try it & if so, like it. It's pretty, too.

This is a recipe of my friend Chef Jay Moore from his cookbook Cooking Fearlessly which he co-authored with Jeff Blank. It is very good during the summer. Poteet and Fredericksburg are towns in Texas that grow strawberries and peaches respectively. You can use just any old strawberries and peaches for the recipe.

Poteet Strawberry and Fredericksburg Peach Soup

Strawberry Soup

3 c. strawberries, cleaned and greens removed
1 c. chardonnay wine
1 1/2 c. fresh lemon juice
1 c. sugar (can vary according to sweetness of berries)
1/2 c. cream
mint for garnish

Peach Soup

3 c. peaches, cleaned with skin on and no pits
1 c. chardonnay wine
1 1/2 c. fresh lemon juice
1 c. sugar (can vary according to sweetness of berries)
1/2 c. cream
mint for garnish

Combine all berry soup ingredients and pour into a blender and puree until smooth and put into the fridge. Then do the same with the peaches. Keep both soups in separate containers in the fridge until you are ready to combine the two soups in one bowl.

When time to serve pour the two soups into an iced bowl simultaneously and garnish with mint.

San, something less common is this fresh corn soup. I had some for lunch today. So good.

I like this served at room temperature. This is spicy from the Pablano, sweet from the corn and crunchy from the red bell pepper...a good balance. If you don't like spicy leave out the Pablano and cayenne.

{{!gwi}}

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion; chopped
3 cups fresh corn (about 3 ears)
1 clove garlic; minced
4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup cream (or half & half or milk)
1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal
1/2 red bell pepper; diced
2 tablespoons fresh, chopped cilantro
Pinch of cayenne pepper or 2 tablespoons roasted Pablano pepper; chopped
Fresh Lime wedges

Heat oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and a sprinkle of salt and pepper and cook until softened and translucent. Stir in corn and garlic and continue to cook, stirring often until corn begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add broth and bring mixture to a simmer, for 15 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer 1 1/2 cups of the corn mixture to a blender. Add cream and 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Slightly vent the top of the blender and carefully puree until the mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes. Return the puree to the pan.

Whisk in cornmeal and bring the soup to a boil over medium heat while stirring constantly until thickened. Stir in bell pepper, cilantro and cayenne or chopped roasted Pablano pepper. Serve hot or at room temperature with lime.

Marilyn

I make this every year when we go up north. We have vacationed with the same family for years and they wouldn't let a summer go by without it. I usually use an equal amount of ripe summer tomatoes and whirl them in the blender to substitute for the canned tomatoes. But, I have used Red Gold canned tomatoes as well with much success.

MOROCCAN-SPICED COLD TOMATO SOUP

1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Scant 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (14- to 16-oz) can whole tomatoes in juice, drained and juices reserved
1 3/4 cups chicken broth (14 fl oz)
2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
Garnish: lemon slices

Cook onion in oil with spices in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and begins to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Coarsely chop tomatoes and add to onion mixture with reserved juices, broth, honey, 1 tablespoon parsley, and 1 tablespoon cilantro, then bring to a boil. Transfer soup to a metal bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and cold water. Cool soup, stirring occasionally, until cold, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste, then stir in remaining parsley and cilantro.

Makes 4 servings or about 5 cups.
Gourmet
June 2003

Had orange sherbert soup with tapioca on cruise, and sure would love to find a recipe.

Delicious!!

how wonderful to see some new additions, that are also a bit different than what i'm familiar with! i just bought a peck of peaches the other day and it's hard for me to believe how good they are! and the local corn has finally started to come in--45 cents/ear right now but it should drop soon.

glenda--you had a really unusual soup! i've never even made tapioca pudding but perhaps if you described it, someone might be able to head you in the right direction!

lots of great choices here but ruthanna's recipe really had caught my eye and i made it for a luncheon yesterday with a couple of old friends. the cold coral soup was delicious and couldn't have been any easier! due to all the sour cream it was rich but it maintained a very bright/fresh taste of cucumber! it absolutely is a keeper--thank you!

NOTE: ruthanna said to peel the cukes and because i was using english cukes, which are very thin-skinned, i didn't bother to do that. the next time i make it i will peel them as i think the color would be better without the skins "muddying" it.

I'm glad it turned out good for you, san. Yep, since red and green = brown, good idea to peel the cukes. LOL

On The Victory Garden yesterday they made a roasted parsnip soup that sounded incredible. Don't have a precise recipe, but it included the fire-roasted parsnips (with a comment that sweet potatoes work just as well), carmalized onions, yogurt, and a few other things.

Might be worthwhile experimenting.

Glenda, I googled and found these. Are either of them similar to what you had?

California Orange Soup
Categories: Desserts Cold Fruit To post
Yield: 8 Servings
2 tb Quick-cooking tapioca
2 ½ c Orange juice
2 tb Sugar
1 ds Salt
2 Cinnamon sticks
1 ½ c Orange sections
12 oz Frozen sliced peaches; thawed
1 Banana; sliced
¼ c Sour cream

Blend tapioca, orange juice, sugar and salt in saucepan. Let stand 5 minutes. Add cinnamon sticks. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat; cool. Remove cinnamon sticks. Add orange sections, peaches and banana. Chill well. Ladle into chilled bowls. Garnish with sour cream. Makes 8 servings. Source: "The Smart Shopper's Cookbook" by Loyta Wooding, 1972. Formatted by Mardi Desjardins, March 20, 1998. Recipe by: Loyta Wooding Posted to MC-Recipe Digest by Mardi Desjardins on Mar 26, 1998

Fruit Soup Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Soups Amount Measure Ingredient \-\- Preparation Method \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- 3 Tbsp. instant tapioca 2 1/2 C. water 1 Can frozen orange \-\- (6 oz.) juice (other juices may be substituted) fresh mint 3 C. fresh fruit (melons, oranges, nectarines, peaches and bananas are good choices, but use whatever is in season) Combine tapioca and 1 cup of the water. Bring to a boil and simmer 2 to 3 minutes. Add orange juice and mix until well blended. Add remaining water. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Cut fruit into bite\-size pieces and add to chilled soup. Serve in well chilled mugs. Garnish with fresh mint if available. Makes 6 servings. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I made "garden bounty" soup on Sunday...
I winged it as a way to use some peppers and tomatoes I had....and to feed friends coming home from an unrestful weekend in rainy Kansas City.
I roasted and peeled 2 red bell peppers
In a heavy Le C Dutch oven
I sauteed a Colorado sweet onion, a big one
And 4 stalks of celery, sliced the onion into 1/2 rounds and the celery into slices.
Sauteed in 1t butter and 1 T EVOO
While that was slowly sauteeing, I blanched and skinned 8 good big fresh garden tomatoes.
When the onion and the celery were soft I cut up the roasted red peppers and added them to the pot.
I added 3 cups of chicken broth and as that was coming to a simmer, I cut up the tomatoes and added them to the pot.
I also added 1 teaspoon of medium hot ground hatch chilis.
Simmered for 30 minutes and added 1/4 cup of fine chopped fresh basil.
No salt.....no black pepper....
It was wonderful!
Linda C