Running Hot & Cold

Now that the hot weather has finally arrived, there's nothing quite like a cold soup to ward off the heat.  The beauty of cold soups is they can be made up to a day or two in advance and left to sit in your fridge so you can enjoy them at any time and the flavour benefits from having the time to mingle.

(photo courtesy of www.finecooking.com)

Chilled Cucumber-Buttermilk Soup

Fine Cooking magazine, issue 117, pp. 65

1-1/2 ­lb. cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
2 medium celery stalks, roughly chopped
1 small shallot, coarsely chopped
1/4­ cup extra-virgin olive oil, more to garnish
Kosher salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 ­cup buttermilk
Freshly ground black pepper
Chopped chives, to garnish

In a blender, purée the cucumber, celery, shallots, olive oil, and 1 tsp. kosher salt until smooth. Strain through a medium-mesh sieve into a large bowl, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Whisk in the sour cream and buttermilk and season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour. Serve drizzled with olive oil and garnished with chives.

Green & Grilled

Tonight's supper offering includes a cold soup starter, Green Gazpacho, and Grilled Halibut paired with a tarragon-scented mayonnaise with cornichons and capers. This sauce would complement any mildly flavoured fish. To round out the main course: corn on the cob and eggplant (both cooked on the grill, of course).

Green Gazpacho (serves 8-10)
(recipe from Rebar cookbook)
1/2 lb. tomatillos
1/2 lb. zucchini
1/2 lb. cucumber
1 green pepper
1 bunch scallions
4 garlic cloves
2 jalapeno peppers
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup rice wine viengar
1/4 cup each chopped basil, parsely, cilantro
juice of 3 limes
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 cup sour cream
zest of 1 lime

Remove husks from the tomatillos and give them a rinse. Roughly chop the tomatillos, zucchini, cucumber, pepper, garlic, scallions and jalapenos. Place the chopped vegetables in a large bowl and toss with olive oil and vinegar. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

In a food processor or blender, pulse marinated vegetables with herbs and half of the lime juice. Add water to get desired consistency. Season with salt, pepper, more lime juice and sugar to counter acidity. Chill thoroughly for at least 2 hours before serving. Stir together sour cream and lime zest and serve on top.

Grilled Halibut with Tarragon-Scented Mayonnaise
with Cornichons & Capers (yields 1-2/3 cups, enough for 6-8 servings)
(recipe from Fine Cooking magazine issue 86)

The grilled halibut just requires a brush of olive oil and sprinkle of salt on each side. Grill for 2 to 4 minutes either side or until you've got good grill marks and the fish is done to your liking.

1 large egg
4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt; more if needed
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/4 cup finely chopped cornichons (or gherkins)
2 tablespoons chopped capers
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parstley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

Whisk the egg, lemon juice, salt, and a few grinds of black pepper in a bowl until well combined. Combine the oils and drizzle them into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Once all the oil is added, the sauce should be shiny and thick. Of course, you can always throw everthing in together and blitz with your immersion/stick blender. Fold in the remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for up to 1 day before using.

Use up any leftover sauce by mixing together with any cold, leftover grilled fish for a salad or sandwich the next day.