It’s summer. It’s hot. Especially in Austin.
That doesn’t mean culinary students and Austin foodies need to ditch soups until cooler weather returns. In fact, you might just learn a thing or two about soup’s versatility (and tastiness) by simply adjusting soup recipes to accommodate high temperatures.
First things first: How do you make summer soups that don’t melt your spoon or drip sweat into the bowl?
French Onion Soup isn’t just a cold-weather delicacy.
Chilled Cucumber Soup + Yogurt!
What do you get when you combine vegetable broth, Greek yogurt, cucumbers, onions and a dash of lemon, parsley and dill? Well, Chilled Cucumber soup, of course!
The creaminess of the yogurt serves as the real base of the soup and the coolness of cucumber provides a chilled, tasty experience that anyone can appreciate.
You can also top off with croutons or diced tomatoes to increase the range of flavors.
Taking only 15 minutes to make, this soup takes the sting out of summer and can be served as a standalone meal or side dish.
Strawberry Coconut Soup
Soup doesn’t have to be a crockpot full of steaming broth and vegetables. It can be cool and light, too.
As CountryLiving noted, Texas berry season is here. Chop a few pounds of strawberries, add vanilla yogurt and coconut cream and mix in teaspoons of lemon juice, cinnamon and sugar, and you’re practically done.
Throw into a blender – or whip by hand – and garnish with whipped cream and mint.
It’s fruity, it’s cold and it’s just what the stomach ordered on a scorching Austin day.
French Onion Soup
In the last decade, Austin has seen a number of France-inspired restaurants pop up, which makes French Onion Soup a great choice for culinary students in the area to learn.
Though you can make this soup a number of ways – most chefs use butter, onions, beef/veal stock, parmesan cheese and wine – the real kicker is making this normally hot soup into something more savory for summer.
You can do this by adding a few accoutrements on top of the soup, providing the lucky recipient with something to dip or to offset the heat of the soup.
Using avocado, Emmental cheese and sliced flatbread to garnish the soup provides a whole new dynamic to the French specialty – and a new way for you to overcome summer-related soup withdrawals.
Because soups can be made quickly and in small batches, you don’t have to waste time or ingredients with excessive trial and error before getting the proper soup whipped up. It’s no Lonestar, but soup can still help you beat the heat this summer.
Whaddya say?
