Too cool: seven cold soups for summer

Soup doesn’t have to be relegated to cold weather. Here are seven chilled soups from the Blue Kitchen archives.

We took a quick road trip to upstate New York last weekend. There was a practical reason for the trip, helping one of our daughters move, but there was also plenty of pleasure, much of it food-based. (I know you’re surprised.) And even though we’re in the thick of summer, soups were part of that pleasure.

There were cups of lobster bisque and a hearty, okra-rich gumbo at Doug’s Fish Fry in Cortland. An amazing jambalaya at Maxie’s Supper Club and Oyster Bar in Ithaca. And a heaping bowl of the incomparable farmhouse chili at Empire Brewing Company in Syracuse, with beef, lamb, pork, local elk and root vegetables.

Eating “against the season” like this—and loving every bite of it—got us thinking about chilled soups and what they can bring to the summer table. We’re fans of cold soups, either as starters to a meal or as lunch or a light dinner on their own. We’ve made a number of them over the years at Blue Kitchen. Here are some of our favorites.

Sweet Potato Vichyssoise

Any post on cold soups here must start with this one. For years, Marion’s sweet potato vichyssoise, pictured above, has been a Thanksgiving tradition at our house, an elegant surprise of a first course. Its sweet/savory flavor is perfect for summer meals too.

Green Garlic Vichyssoise

If you look quick, you might still find some green garlic at farmers markets. Here it teams with leeks, potatoes, butter and half & half to create a cool, creamy, delicately garlicky first course. And if there’s no green garlic to be had, the recipe tells you how to substitute regular garlic.

Watercress Vichyssoise

This delectable, slightly peppery chilled soup was inspired by one of my favorite passages in the always inspiring Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential. He describes his first indication that food was more than just fuel—as a young boy crossing the Atlantic on the Queen Mary, headed for a family vacation in France. You’ll find the recipe—and the passage—here.

Gazpacho

Chilled, chunky and chock full of healthy vegetables, Marion’s lively gazpacho makes a refreshing, simple first course all summer long. I seriously want some now.

Broccoli Mint Soup

Okay, technically this isn’t a chilled soup. It’s served room temperature. But mint and a drizzle of curried yogurt make it lively and refreshing. Here’s the recipe.

Cold Cucumber Avocado Soup

We’ve been discussing old slang recently. Does anyone still say cool as a cucumber? If not, we should revive the term, because cucumbers add a nice summery coolness to everything they touch. This creamy, tangy, refreshing soup is a perfect example.

Strawberry Gazpacho

Cucumbers are part of this non-tomato gazpacho too. With strawberries, cayenne pepper, chives and hot sauce, they blend into a sweet, tangy, spicy take on classic gazpacho. As a bonus, this is a no-cook recipe.