Cold Cucumber Soup
(from kylerhea’s recipe box)
The saying “cool as a cucumber” has the ring of truth to it, as this refreshing vegetable has the ability to cool an overheated body on the most torrid of summer days. A chilled cucumber soup sounds appealing, but most recipes turn out quite bland. Here’s what we discovered:
Test Kitchen Discoveries
- Pureeing the cucumbers into a base of sour cream and buttermilk makes the most of the subtle cucumber flavor. Add a diced cucumber for texture.
- Accent the soup with a little Dijon mustard and garlic. Make sure to mince the garlic very fine or press it through a garlic press so that it completely blends into the soup.
Adding a pound of small cooked shrimp makes this soup a perfect main course for a luncheon or light summer dinner. This soup should be eaten the same day it is made.
Source: Cooks Illustrated email
Categories: summer cucumbers vegetables soup
Ingredients
- 4 cucumbers (about 2 1/2 pounds), peeled, halved, and seeded
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 3 cups buttermilk
- Table salt and ground black pepper
Directions
-
Cut 1 of the cucumbers into 1/4-inch cubes and reserve. Process the remaining 3 cucumbers, the sour cream, dill, sugar, mustard, and garlic in a blender (or food processor) until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl or container. Stir in the buttermilk and reserved cubed cucumber. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, about 30 minutes (or up to 6 hours). Season again with salt and pepper to taste before serving.