Julia Child's (Hot or Cold) Cream of Cucumber Soup Revisited for Cook the Books April/May Pick: Mastering the Art of French Murder

I totally missed the boat for our April/May Cook the Books pick of Mastering the Art of French Murder (An American in Paris Mystery #1) by Colleen Cambridge (April 2023) and I was the host. I have a litany of excuses involving May being full of travel, illness, increased work responsibilities and more travel, but nonetheless, you can see I am posting my review and dish today and we are 4 days into June. I will be rounding up the entries at the Cook the Books site soon --before I leave town again on Thursday and I thank our group for their patience. 

From the Publisher:

As Postwar Paris rediscovers its joie de vivre, Tabitha Knight, who recently arrived from Detroit for an extended stay with her French grandfather, is on her own journey of discovery. Paris isn’t just the City of Light; it’s the city of history, romance, stunning architecture . . . and food. Thanks to her neighbor and friend Julia Child, another ex-pat who’s fallen head over heels for Paris, Tabitha is learning how to cook for her Grandpère and Oncle Rafe.

Between tutoring Americans in French, visiting the market, and eagerly sampling the results of Julia’s studies at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school, Tabitha’s sojourn is proving thoroughly delightful. That is, until the cold December day they return to Julia’s building and learn that a body has been found in the cellar. Tabitha recognizes the victim as a woman she’d met only the night before, at a party given by Julia’s sister, Dort. The murder weapon found nearby is recognizable too—a knife from Julia’s kitchen.

Tabitha is eager to help the investigation but is shocked when Inspector Merveille reveals that a note, in Tabitha’s handwriting, was found in the dead woman’s pocket. Is this murder a case of international intrigue, or something far more personal? From the shadows of the Tour Eiffel at midnight to the tiny third-floor Child kitchen to the grungy streets of Montmartre, Tabitha navigates through the city hoping to find the real killer before she or one of her friends ends up in prison . . . or worse. 

My Review: 

I picked this book because I love cozy mysteries as a palate cleanser for other and heavier books and I love a good foodie cozy. I also love Julia Child and had a Once Upon a Book Club book box for it but I ended up reading it on my Kindle and I haven't opened the box and its corresponding gifts yet. I will try and do that and add to this post when I return from my trip after next week (a couple of days of PTO with a work conference added in in Oregon).

Overall, I thought this was fun--love a Paris after WWII setting and Julia was a fun character--who wouldn't want her as a friend? The food aspect was good and I thought the mystery worked. The main character Tabitha drove me a bit crazy when she called herself and "imp" or "sprite" when she was just making dumb decisions but I will still read the next book in the series that came out in April. (A Murder Most FrenchA Murder Most French) 

Food Inspiration: There was so much food inspiration in this book from Julia's struggle with mayonnaise to roasted chicken, salmon, stews, potatoes.... I didn't even get all of it written down. 

In the end, I went to Maine, got really sick, came back and had massive work commitments before leaving again and didn't get around to cooking a dish. Instead, I'm going to go back a few years and revisit a tasty cucumber soup from Julia Child. (First posted here). You can eat it hot or cold, making it perfect as we head into summer. 

Cream of Cucumber Soup

Slightly Adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 2 by Julia Child via TheDailyMeal.com
(About 6 Servings)

1 1/2 lb cucumbers, about 3 large
1/2 cup minced shallots
3 Tbsp butter
6 cups light stock (I used vegan non-chicken stock), plus extra for thinning if needed
1 1/2 tsp wine vinegar (I used tarragon Vinegar)
3/4 tsp dried tarragon
(I added 1/2 tsp dill)
4 Tbsp farina (cream of wheat) breakfast cereal (I used cream of rice cereal)
salt and white pepper to taste
1 cup minced fresh herbs like dill, tarragon or parsley

Peel cucumbers. Cut 18-24 paper-thin slices and reserve in a bowl for later. Cut the rest of the cucumber into 1/2-inch chunks; you should have about 4 1/2 cups

Cook the shallots slowly in the butter for several minutes until tender but not browned. Add the cucumber chunks, broth, vinegar, and herbs. Bring to a boil, then stir in the farina. Simmer, partially covered, for 20-25 minutes. Puree in a blender and then return the soup to the pan. Thin out with more broth if needed, and season with salt and white pepper to taste.

Just before serving, beat in 1/2 cup of the sour cream. Ladle soup into bowls and place a dollop of the leftover sour cream on top of each. Float slices of cucumber on top of the sour cream and decorate with a sprinkling of herbs. 

Cooking Notes: If you are planning on eating the soup cold, let it cool down to about room temp, then stir in the sour cream and chill in fridge at least 4 hours before serving.

This soup relies mostly on farina (cream of wheat) for thickening but the cream of wheat I found in my local grocery stores was over $7.00 for a large box that I doubted I'd use up. Instead I grabbed a small box of Cream of Rice soup that was under $4.00. Cream of rice is a good gluten-free option that works just as well. I made a couple of other small changes to the recipe, noted in red on the recipe. 

Notes/Results From When I Made It: I know cold soup, cucumbers and cold soup with cucumbers are not everyone's favorite cup of soup ;-) but this one is really delicious--crisp, refreshing, the flavor of the herbs (tarragon and the dill I added) come through nicely. it's creamy and rich but the sour cream and vinegar give it a bright pop of acidity. On The daily Meal where I found the recipe, they said it was equally good cold and hot and when I tried the warm soup, it was good. There is just something about cucumbers and cold that go together though so that's the way I'll enjoy it. It's going to work with me with egg salad sandwiches this week and I'd happily make it again.

If you like food and books, and foodie books, join us in June/July when we will be reading Family Tree, by Susan Wiggs, histed by Claudia of Honey From Rock.

Happy Reading, Cooking & Eating!

 

3 Favorite Gazpachos for Souper (Soup, Salad, & Sammie) Sundays

Two kinds of soups say "summer is coming" or "summer is here" depending on where you live, gazpacho and chowder. Sure, one is cold and the other hot, but most make the best of summer's bounty of vegetables. 

I'm highlighting a few favorite gazpachos this week. I realize cold soups aren't everyone's favorite, but they are excellent for summer eating, and make a great start to a meal.

First up the Best Gazpacho, Seville Style from The New York Times. (Maybe not the best, really, but certainly creamy, flavorful and delicious. 

Next up is Yellow Tomato Gazpacho from Clean Eating Magazine. Its yellow color is sunny and the topping of avocado and cilantro oil make it especially tasty. 

Zucchini-and-Mint Gazpacho with Radish Salsa from Coastal Living Magazine is a great little cold soup with layers of flavor. 

You can't go wrong with any of these is your fridge for lunches or dinner.

We have a few dishes waiting in the Souper Sundays kitchen from the past few weeks--let's take a look! 

The link up below will be open for a couple of weeks, so feel free to add a soup, salad or sandwich creation and I'll highlight them soon.

Meylnda of Scratch Made Food! shares A Tasty List of Non-Lettuce Salads saying, "Salads! Everyone eats them. But maybe, just maybe you could get more fruits and vegetables in your meal plans by serving them more often. And we're not just talking about tossed greens here! ... We are talking about delicious non-lettuce salads the whole family will love. And double bonus, you will automatically be getting more of all the good stuff you want your family to eat, on the table, for your family to enjoy..."

Next Tina of Squirrel Head Manor shared a Simple Cucumber and Tomato Salad she made focusing on vegetarian eating, saying, "This is such a simple salad with a seedless cucumber and Goliath tomatoes. I drizzled some Boar's Head oil over the veggies and placed in the fridge for a bit."

Finally, Marg of The Adeventures of an Intrepid Reader shares my other favorite summer soup, a recipe for Seafood Chowder inspired by Tina above and also her review of Chowderland. She says, "And as for the chowders.... we ended up trying this recipe from Tina with some adaptations. Of course, we had to specifically order Old Bay Seasoning as it just isn't available in our supermarkets. However, we are thinking about using it as part of the batter next time we make fried chicken as suggested on the bottle."

Thank you, Melynda for joining me. 

If you'd like to join in Souper Sundays, I am opening up the below link for two weeks while I continue to finish deciding what my go-forward looks like. 

Anyone interested can post their soups, salads, or sandwiches any time during the two weeks and I will post a recap of the entries on Sunday in two weeks.) 

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.  

To join in this week's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you.

On your entry post (on your blog):

• please mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and link back to this post.
• you are welcome to add the wonderful Souper Sundays logo (created by Ivy at Kopiaste) to your post and/or blog (optional).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

(Party Extended One More Week!) You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Have a happy, healthy week!

 

Five Favorite Greek Soups for Souper (Soup, Salad, & Sammie) Sundays

I have had the workweek and weekend from hell and so Sunday finds me laying about and not in the kitchen. Because I Heart Cooking Clubs' theme this week is Go Greek!, I am going to bring you five favorite Greek Soups from our IHCC Featured Chefs.

Tahinosoupa (Tahini Soup) from Tessa Kiros is a classic from the Cycladic Islands

Tessa's Soupy Bakes Chickpeas aren't technically a soup, but they are soupy so I am counting them. 

Jamie Oliver takes his Greek Salad and whirls it in the blender for this Greek Salad Gazpacho, excellent on hot days.

I have featured Ruth Reichl's Avegolemono Soup a couple of times all ready, but it's a classic.  

And Mark Bittman's blender-frothed Avgolemono Soup is an easy way to enjoy this favorite. I made mine with pearled couscous instead of orzo. 

You can't go wrong with any of these, or check out Tina from Squirrel Head Manor's Greek Lentil Soup from Tessa Kiros which I don't know how I have escaped making but will remedy soon.

Linking up with IHCC and the Go Greek theme this week. 

Now let's check into the Souper Sundays kitchen and see who is here. 

Melynda of Scratch Made Food shares another 3 dishes this week, starting with her BBQ Chicken Salad for Sandwiches. She says, "This is a delicious sandwich! BBQ Chicken Salad is crunchy, not too sweet, and delicious between a couple of slices of bread, or open-face style. Be sure to add some bread and butter pickle slices and a few black olives, on the side!"

Her second dish is Moroccan Carrot Salad which she says is a "another delicious non-lettuce salad to enjoy. With good quality organic carrots available year-round making this salad is so easy! Feel free to adjust the spices listed to satisfy your own tastes."

Finally she shares her Green Bean Soup, saying that it "might sound unusual, but...it is easy to make, delicious, and light! Also perfect for the warm autumn days ahead as well as the cold winter on the way. This delicious recipe uses green beans from your own garden, or from the local Farmers Market!"

Tina of Squirrel Head Manor shares two dishes this week, first up a tasty Side Salad of "Vine ripe tomatoes, sliced green onions, red onions, lettuce, cucumber and fresh corn. A bit of salt and pepper and your preferred dressing."

And the Lentil Soup from Tessa Kiros, saying, "From Food from Many Greek Kitchens I made a lentil soup chock with carrots, garlic and onions. The longer it simmers the thicker it will get. A bit of flour can help with that too."

Judee of Gluten Free A-Z Blog shared Leek, Chickpea, and Spinach Noodle Soup, saying "Noodle soup is one of my favorites, and I love it in this healthy combination with leeks, carrots, spinach and chickpeas. The soup is simple, flavorful, and nourishing. It feels cozy on a cool night and can satisfy as a meal in a bowl for lunch. 

Thanks to Judee, Tina and Melynda for joining me this week! 

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
 

If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up to Souper Sundays in order to be included in the weekly round-up.
• Although we are pretty wide on what defines a soup, sandwich or salad, entries that are clearly not in the same family (ie: desserts, meats, random main or side dishes that aren't salads, etc.) are meant for another round up and will be deleted. 

and 

On your entry post (on your blog):

• Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and add a link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to this post or my blog on your post, it will be removed.)
• You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (completely optional).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Have a happy, healthy week!

 

Chilled Cucumber & Dill Soup from Mark Bittman for Souper (Soup, Salad, & Sammie) Sundays

I have been meaning to make this Chilled Cucumber & Dill Soup for a few weeks now, but I have been lazy--even though it requires little more than a bit of chopping and peeling, then chilling it until it's nice and cold. Although it rained hard last night and is supposed to rain even harder tonight and tomorrow, it's really warm and humid today so this soup sounded perfect.

It comes from Mark Bittman's Kitchen Express, a great little cookbook full of little recipe sketches. I have made multiple recipes from it on this blog and was surprised when this one popped up in an email, that I had never made this one. I love cucumber and dill and cold cucumber soup, so it was right up my alley. It says to serve with crusty bread and I saw this cheese bread in the shape of a hedgehog from a table at the month craft/gift/food fair near my house and thought it was cute, and that it would be a great accompaniment. 

Chilled Cucumber & Dill Soup

Slightly Adapted from Mark Bittman's Kitchen Express

(Serves 4)

Peel and seed three cucumbers. Chop them up and put in a blender with two cups of buttermilk, a half cup of sour cream, a tablespoon of olive oil, a couple of tablespoons of freshly chopped dill, a pinch of sugar, salt, and a splash of white wine vinegar. Puree and garnish with fresh dill. Serve with crusty bread.

Notes/Results: Just a simple cold cucumber soup--refreshing and good dill flavor. The crusty bread is fun and tastes good dipped into the soup. Easy enough to make, I would make it again. 

Linking up this Jacques Pepin recipe at I Heart Cooking Clubs for August Potluck. 

Now let's see who is in the Souper Sundays kitchen this week.

Tina of Squirrel Head Manor shared Potato, Pea and Chickpea Curry, from Donna Hay's Modern Classics, saying, "Besides the Mandarin chicken we also had tried a Donna Hay recipe - a Potato, Pea and Chickpea curry. ... Serve with steamed rice and cucumber yogurt."

Melynda from Scratch Made Food brought three dishes this week. First is Ham Bone Soup with White Beans, Sweet Potato and Kale, saying this soup is "one of the soups I make on regular rotation. Smoked ham broth, tender sweet potato chunks, creamy beans, and tender kale, ladled up in a steamy bowl of comfort food." 

Her second contribution gives a lesson in How To Make Borscht, saying "Borscht is just one of those soups people don't think about. But they should! ... And this version is loaded with vegetables for good health."

Finally she shared her One Cup Two Cup Three Cups Lentil Soup and said, "Lentil soup is one of the most delicious soups to offer your friends and family! But it does not have to be heavy with too many flavors."

Finally here at Kahakai Kitchen, I shared a Shrimp Cobb Salad and one of my favorite easy recipes for Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing from Ina Garten. It's perfect on a Cobb Salad or just a thick wedge of iceberg lettuce or a pile of lettuce, celery and radishes as pictured below. 

Thanks to Tina and Melynda for joining me this week! 

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
 

If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up to Souper Sundays in order to be included in the weekly round-up.
• Although we are pretty wide on what defines a soup, sandwich or salad, entries that are clearly not in the same family (ie: desserts, meats, random main or side dishes that aren't salads, etc.) are meant for another round up and will be deleted. 

and 

On your entry post (on your blog):

• Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and add a link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to this post or my blog on your post, it will be removed.)
• You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (completely optional).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Have a happy, healthy week!

 

A Savory Smoked Salmon Bisque for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

I walked by some lobster bisque in the grocery store deli soups the other day and thought about making some but instead decided to make a Smoked Salmon Bisque instead to use some peppered smoked salmon and cream that were hanging about my fridge. 

 What's the difference betwen bisque and chowder? If you read up on them, the simplest answer seems to be that both are creamy and rich but a bisque tends to be pureed until smooth, while a chowder is usually left chunkier. I went a bit in the middle, pureeing my soup base, but flaking in pieces of peppered smoked salmon too. Although bisques are most often served hot or warm, it's summer and I think this one would also be lovely chilled.

Smoked Salmon Bisque

By Deb, Kahakai Kitchen

(Makes 4 Servings)

2 Tbsp butter

1 medium leek, white and light green parts, thinly sliced

1/2 sweet onion, diced

1 medium carrot, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp flour

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning

1/2 tsp celery seed

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 cup white wine 

3 cups broth--I used non-chicken

8-10 oz hot smoked salmon, flaked, separated

1 cup heavy cream

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

sea salt and black pepper to taste

chopped chives and black pepper or smoked paprika for garnish

In a medium heavy-bottom pot, heat butter over medium heat and add leeks, onion, and carrot and cook 4-5 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and cook another minute, then add flour and spices and cook another minute or two. Add white wine and stir until flour is completely blended.

Stir in broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes. Add about 1/2 of the smoked salmon and the heavy cream and simmer another 10 minutes, being careful not to boil. Using an immersion blender or a high speed blender (blend in batches), puree soup until mostly smooth. Return purred soup to pot and stir in most of the rest of the reserved salmon--reserving about 2 Tbsp for topping. Add lemon juice and season to taste with salt and black pepper. 

Serve warm with reserved flaked smoked salmon, chopped chives and a sprinkle of smoked paprika or black pepper or chill at least 2 hours in fridge and serve cold. 

Notes/Results: Rich, creamy, smoky and good, this is a tasty soup. I like the peppery salmon on here--although any hot smoked, flaky salmon will do. I also like the extra pop of flavor from the smoked paprika, Old Bay Seasoning and the lemon juice--which brightens up the richness and smoky flavors. I would happily make it again. 

Let's see who is in the Souper Sundays kitchen this week. 

Debra of Eliot's Eats shared a classic Macaroni Salad, saying "We fried up a bazillion fish fillets (hybrid bass) that The Hubs had caught on a early June fishing trip. We just coated them with cornmeal, Cajun spice, a little sugar, and salt and pepper. We had so much fish we ate on them for at least three meals.  The first night was simply the fillets. Then came the Po-Boys, and finally just simply cold on a grazing board. ... To go along with the obligatory hot dogs and brats, I created this macaroni salad. I based the dressing on Rodney Scott’s potato salad. I added whatever veggies I had in the fridge."

Judee of Gluten Free A-Z Blog brought Quinoa Salad and says, "If you are looking for a great quinoa salad that is easy, healthy, and filling- this is it. Quinoa, chickpeas, and summer produce such as red and yellow cherry tomatoes, scallions, colorful mini sweet peppers, shredded carrots, sliced black olives, parsley, and fresh basil, makes an easy, light, yet filling meal for dinner."

Radha of The Magical Ingredients for a Wholesome Life from the Heart of My Home shared Four Ways to Use Up Chipotle Corn Chowder. She says, "Chipotle corn chowder is one of our favorite soups whether slow-cooked or on stove-top. When made quite often, many times, there would be leftovers and sometimes, I would love to make a little extra as the leftover soup comes in handy for the next meal as such, or which helps in quick fixing a delicious meal. This post shows four ways to use it, though it can be used in many other ways."

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
 

If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up to Souper Sundays in order to be included in the weekly round-up.
• Although we are pretty wide on what defines a soup, sandwich or salad, entries that are clearly not in the same family (ie: desserts, meats, random main or side dishes that aren't salads, etc.) are meant for another round up and will be deleted. 

and 

On your entry post (on your blog):

• Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and add a link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to this post or my blog on your post, it will be removed.)
• You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (completely optional).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Have a happy, healthy week!