RECIPE: Chilled Cucumber Soup or Dip

The first time I made this recipe, I was hoping to serve it as an appetizer in tiny cucumber cups.  When I fashioned a cup from a small cucumber, I realized there was no way to make it a 'one bite size', and with liquid soup inside it HAD to be one bite size.  

I went back to the drawing board and made adjustments to thicken the soup.  I also wanted to ramp up the herbal flavors which were missing in the first version.  It is now a slightly spicy, slightly sweet, slightly creamy and thoroughly delicious summer soup!  I've abandoned my quest to serve it in cucumber cups. I've included instructions on how to make it a dip but I have not tried them yet!

Yes, I realize the cucumbers are done for this season, now that it's September, but I had stored a few wrapped first in damp paper towels, and then placed in a paper bag inside the fridge, and they all survived!   The herbs I either store wrapped in damp paper towels inside an open plastic bag in the fridge, or they live in small glass jars on my counter.  Please see this post on how to make produce last longer .

(FARM MEMBERS: there is lemon balm growing in the flower bed by the door to the creamery, the other herbs are growing in the PYO raised beds next to the field adjacent to the cow's loafing shed.)   

Chilled Cucumber Soup with Curry Lemon Cream

Makes 4 cups

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 t. curry powder
• 1 t. lemon juice
• 1/2 cup heavy cream  
• 1 t. himalayan pink salt, divided 
• 1 pound cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise and seeded
• 1 cup yogurt (or quark*)
• 2 garlic cloves peeled and smashed
• 2 anchovy fillets (optional)
• 2 small whole scallions, trimmed
• 1 small jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 1 cup mixed fresh herbs - lemon basil, lemon balm, parsley and apple mint
• 1.5 t. honey  
• OPTIONAL Garnish:
• 1/2 ear of fresh corn, shucked and kernels sliced off

*Using yogurt will give you a thinner soup-like consistency.  Using Quark should give you a thicker dip-like consistency suitable for serving in small cucumber cups, but I have not made this with quark yet!

INSTRUCTIONS:

Mix the curry powder with the lemon juice in a small bowl and let it bloom for a minute or two.  Whisk in the cream and 1/4 t. salt and let it thicken while you prepare the soup.

Combine the remaining ingredients, including the remaining 3/4 t. salt, but excluding the optional garnish, in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth - *a food processor will work better if you're using quark.  Taste and adjust seasoning.

You now have several options:

My favorite: Stir a little bit of the soup into the curry-lemon-cream to lighten it, then mix the curry-lemon-cream into the soup and serve it without the corn garnish. It makes two generous bowls of soup this way.  Served with toast points it's a wonderful meal on a hot day.

To serve as a soup appetizer: pour into espresso cups, drizzle 1-2 T. of cream on the top, sprinkle 5-6 corn kernels over the cream, and serve with a small spoon.  It serves 6-12 this way, depending on the size of your espresso cups.  You can put a small pinch of curry powder on top if you want.

OR... Serve it with the curry cream stirred in, and garnished with  lemon balm flower::

 

To serve as an appetizer, cut a thin cucumber into 1" pieces and scoop out the center with a melon baller.  Fill the depression with the dip and top with a bit of the curry cream and a pinch of flake salt. (*DISCLAIMER: I have not made this with quark yet!  LMK if it works.)