Sweet Corn Chowder with Chloe's Croutons: Vegan and Delicious for Souper (Soup, Salad, & Sammie) Sundays

It's been pretty humid here this weekend, but that never stops me from eating soups--especially a summery Sweet Corn Chowder like this one from my vegan cooking guru, Chloe Coscarelli. I love the fact that she eats soup in the hot summer in New York--a girl after my own heart. I like that this soup gets it's creaminess from the pureed corn and potato. There's a couple of pans and steps involved--especially if you make the croutons, but I had leftover bread from Friday and everything goes together quickly and easily with simple ingredients.

Chloe says, "Even in New York's summer heat, I still crave this hot-hot soup. Not only is it temperature hot, but it's also got a nice kick from the jalapeno. There's something very hydrating about the pureed corn, that makes it a great summer choice. . It's flavorful and fun with tons of color and texture."  

Chloe notes that you can make it gluten-free by using gluten-free broth and using gluten-free bread if making the croutons.

Sweet Corn Chowder with Chloe's Croutons
Very Slightly Adapted from Chloe Flavor by Chloe Coscarelli
(Serves 6)

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 Yukon Gold or other yellow potato, peeled and roughly chopped
6 cups (about 2 lbs) frozen sweet corn (I used about 8 cups of corn-yellow & white)
2 garlic cloves
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
3 cups vegetable broth (I used 4 cups due to the extra corn)
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 tsp cayenne, or to taste (I used about 1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 jalapeno seeded and minced
Chloe's Croutons (recipe below), optional
lime wedges, optional

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add the onion, potato, 4 cups of the corn, the garlic and the salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the broth, brown sugar and cayenne. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through. 

Turn off the heat and puree directly in the pot using an immersion blender, or, working in batches, carefully transfer the soup to a blender and puree until smooth (always be careful when blending hot liquids); return the soup to the pot. 

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. When it shimmers, add the bell pepper and remaining 2 cups of corn. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, until lightly browned, then add to the soup. Add the jalapenos and stir over medium heat until heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning. 

Serve topped with croutons and a lime wedge, if desired. 

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Chloe's Crouton's
Very Slightly Adapted from Chloe Flavor by Chloe Coscarelli
(Makes 3 Cups)

3 Tbsp olive oil, plus more as needed
3 cups cubed of torn bread
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder (I used roasted garlic powder)

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, When it shimmers, add the bread and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until lightly toasted. Season with salt and pepper. Add more oil if the pan looks dry.

Turn of the heat and toss with the garlic powder. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to one month.

Notes/Results: Corn chowder is such a favorite of mine and this is a good one--sweet, with a little heat from the pepper and jalapeno and perfectly creamy and delicious.You won't miss the milk or cream if you eat them, or the non-dairy milk if you are a vegan, the soup is silky using just the pureed corn and potato. I used a small package of white sweet corn along with a big package of sweet yellow corn, giving me about 8 cups or corn. I like the extra corn as it makes the chowder even more substantial. You could use fresh corn too but it wasn't looking that fresh in the store and for the lazy soul, frozen sweet corn is quick and easy. Do make the croutons if you get a chance--they are delicious in the soup--along with the lime juice--but make extra because if you are like me you will be noshing on them as they toast up. I would happily make this soup again. 

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

Judee of Gluten Free A-Z Blog shared Broccoli Raab and Potato Soup and said, "Broccoli raab, small red or white potatoes, and carrots make an unusual yet interesting soup  The rich green vegetable can be a tad bitter, but the potato and sweet carrot balance out the flavors making this an excellent way to enjoy eating your greens. I love the creamy texture, the vibrant color, and the pungent flavor of this easy seasonal soup. It's soothing and satisfying."
 

Debra of Eliot's Eats made a fresh summery salad from tomatoes from her garden and said, "My favorite way to eat them—sliced with just a bit of Himalayan sea salt and fresh pepper. I’ll leave you with a simple yet delicious salad that I mixed up for a quick dinner after one of our marathon road trips: Strawberry and Cherry Tomato Bruschetta Salad. Just toss the tomatoes, sliced strawberries, fresh basil with good olive oil and a splash of balsamic. Season with fresh ground pepper. Enjoy!"

Here at Kahakai Kitchen I made Eric Ripert's Curry Vinaigrette and Curry Croutons and used them on a green salad--rounding it out as a meal with a skewer of grilled shrimp, spiced with curry and smoked paprika. It made for a delicious light dinner, perfect for a tough week.

Thanks to Judee and Debra for joining me this week!
  
About Souper Sundays:

Souper Sundays is back with a new format of a picture link each week where anyone interested can post their soups, salads, or sandwiches any time during the week and I post a recap of the entries the following 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 her in order to be included in the weekly round-up.

and 

On your entry post (on your blog):

• Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and 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 it on your post, it will be removed.)
• You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (optional).

An InLinkz Link-up

Have a happy, healthy week!
 

Salad with Eric Ripert's Curry Vinaigrette & Curried Croutons, Served with Grilled Curry Shrimp

My heart hurts today. It hurts for Anthony Bourdain, for his family, his friends, and those who loved him. We've lost other celebrities and people in the public eye, as recently designer Kate Spade earlier in the week, but there was something about waking up to losing the life force that was Anthony Bourdain that made it seem harder and more real. Kitchen Confidential was one of my first foodie memoirs and I continued to read Bourdain's books, watch his shows, follow him on Instagram, and admire his talent, wit and candor, and how he brought both food and a better understanding of the world to so many of us. He will be sorely missed.

As an introvert who doesn't often share my deepest feelings--and especially when they are feelings of pain, I implore you, I implore me, to do whatever you need to do to share and talk it out if it feels that it has become too much to handle. There are people out there who care about you, or if you aren't comfortable reaching out that way, call the National Suicide Prevention Help Line (1-800-273-8255)--it's 24/7, toll-free, confidential and can provide support. Know that you matter and that you are loved. And know that a smile, a kind word, and listening sincerely and without judgment to others can be so helpful to someone who is in pain. I try to think about what I say, or write before I do it and if I can't say something positive that uplifts rather than tears down, I think it is better left unsaid. If we were all even just a little kinder to each other, our world will be a better place. 

So it seems a bit odd to post a recipe tonight, and an Eric Ripert recipe at that--he was Anthony Bourdain's best friend and sadly, the person who found him. Truth be told, I almost didn't want to even cook tonight, but I had planned to make this recipe for I Heart Cooking Clubs, I had good jumbo shrimp thawed, fresh bread and greens bought, and the act of tossing it together into an easy dinner was somewhat soothing. There's a certain solace for me in the kitchen. As I sat down with my plate of salad, bread and shrimp and a glass of white wine, I toasted Anthony Bourdain and wished him peace. 

About the recipe: I had been eyeing Eric Ripert's Mâche Salad with Curry Vinaigrette for a while but mâche is difficult to find here so I subbed in an organic baby spinach and greens mix. Wanting something to make it more of a main dish, I added in a tomato and grilled shrimp. When I can't find local shrimp, I try to stock my freezer shrimp from Whole Foods--where there are checks and balances on the producers they buy from and it is sustainably farmed. If you don't do shrimp, this salad would be perfectly delicious on it's own as a starter or side, or add your favorite protein to make it a full meal.

Mâche Salad with Curry Vinaigrette
Adapted from Food & Wine Magazine.com 
(Serves 4)

5 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 tsp Madras curry powder
3 oz peasant or country bread, torn into 1/2-inch pieces (2 1/2 cups)
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice 

kosher salt
2 oz mâche lettuce (8 cups) (I used mixed greens and baby spinach)
1/4 cup chopped chives  (I subbed in 1 Roma tomato--cored, seeded & chopped)

 

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Whisk in 1/4 teaspoon of the curry powder and add the bread. Toast over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until golden and crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer the croutons to a plate.

In a bowl, whisk the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil and 1/2 teaspoon of curry powder with the lemon juice; season with salt. Toss gently with the mâche and chives; transfer to plates and top with the croutons.

For the Shrimp: I tossed good jumbo shrimp--peeled and de-veined, tail shells removed, in olive oil, Madras curry powder, smoked paprika, sea salt and pepper and threaded them onto wooden skewers (soak skewers in water for 5  minutes first). I heated a grill pan on high heat and cooked the shrimp--about 2 minutes per side until they were golden and pink and firm all the way through. 

Notes/Results:  OK, crispy curry croutons are a very good thing--especially enjoyed with salad with a curried dressing and the addition of lightly curried shrimp. It's like a one-two-three punch of curry, flavorful but not overwhelming. This was a quick and easy dinner--perfect for a humid Friday night--especially when the heart is hurting. I will happily make the dressing and croutons (and the shrimp) again.

Linking up at I Heart Cooking Clubs where our theme is From the Salad Bowl--any kind of Eric Ripert salad recipes.
  

 
I'm also sharing this post with the Weekend Cooking event at Beth Fish Reads, a weekly event that is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share. For more information, see the welcome post.

Finally, it's a salad so I am linking up to Souper Sundays here at Kahakai Kitchen. Each Sunday we feature delicious soups, salads, and sandwiches from friends around the blogosphere--please join in if you have any to share. Here's this week's post and linkup.  

 

 

The Book Tour Stops Here: A Review of "The Almost Sisters" by Joshilyn Jackson, Served with a Recipe for No-Bake Lemon Icebox Pie

It's Wednesday and it's a bit hazy and humid. Not quite a hot and muggy Alabama summer, but still a great time to review a southern novel with summery feel like The Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson. And, what better way to accompany my review than a slice of tart-and-sweet No-Bake Lemon Icebox Pie.

Publisher's Blurb:

With empathy, grace, humor, and piercing insight, the author of gods in Alabama pens a powerful, emotionally resonant novel of the South that confronts the truth about privilege, family, and the distinctions between perception and reality–the stories we tell ourselves about our origins and who we really are.

Superheroes have always been Leia Birch Briggs’ weakness. One tequila-soaked night at a comics convention, the usually level-headed graphic novelist is swept off her barstool by a handsome and anonymous Batman.

It turns out the caped crusader has left her with more than just a nice, fuzzy memory. She’s having a baby boy—an unexpected but not unhappy development in the thirty-eight year-old’s life. But before Leia can break the news of her impending single-motherhood (including the fact that her baby is biracial) to her conventional, Southern family, her step-sister Rachel’s marriage implodes. Worse, she learns her beloved ninety-year-old grandmother, Birchie, is losing her mind, and she’s been hiding her dementia with the help of Wattie, her best friend since girlhood.

Leia returns to Alabama to put her grandmother’s affairs in order, clean out the big Victorian that has been in the Birch family for generations, and tell her family that she’s pregnant. Yet just when Leia thinks she’s got it all under control, she learns that illness is not the only thing Birchie’s been hiding. Tucked in the attic is a dangerous secret with roots that reach all the way back to the Civil War. Its exposure threatens the family’s freedom and future, and it will change everything about how Leia sees herself and her sister, her son and his missing father, and the world she thinks she knows.

Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Reprint edition (May 29, 2018)

My Review:

The Almost Sisters is my first Joshilyn Jackson novel, but I had heard great things about the book and her writing, so I assumed that I was in for a treat and I was. I loved the book and I think I found a new author to enjoy. The Almost Sisters is sweet, but a bit snarky, sentimental and touching, but without being too much so. Leia is the main character, a single, thirty-eight-year-old graphic novelist who finds herself pregnant by a one-night stand with Batman--or an attractive stranger dressed like him at a convention. She keeps the news to herself until her second trimester, when she's about to confess all at lunch at her 'perfect' stepsister's house. But before she can tell anyone, Rachel's unexpected marriage troubles and a plethora of calls and texts from people from the small southern town Leia's grandmother Birchie lives in interrupt her, and Leia finds herself headed to Birchville, Alabama with her thirteen-year-old niece, Lavender, in tow to hopefully sort it all out out. Things are worse than Leia expects when she discovers the truth about the disease that is taking the Birchie she knows away and some well-hidden secrets with big ramifications from Birdie's past come spilling out. 

Leia is a delight of a character--prickly and funny, hiding a lot of hurts behind her art and the graphic novel she created and self-published that became a hit and now has her under contract to write a sequel. All the family drama isn't helping her creative block--from her secret pregnancy to Birchie's and Birchie's best friend Wattie's troubles, to her niece and Rachel--who heads down to Birchville to protect her daughter and escape her own issues. Leia has always lived under the shadow of Rachel and her strong personality and we don't get drawn into Rachel's life and character as much, but that's OK, because this is Leia's and ultimately Birchie's story. The supporting characters are quirky and interesting and the small southern town of Birchville is almost a character itself. I don't want to go into a lot of details beyond what I've shared and what is in the publisher's blurb because Jackson weaves together the characters and plot points so well and then unfolds the story and the secrets in such an appealing and engaging way, that you should just read it on your own. The whole memory loss and dementia aspects hit me a little hard at times--anyone who has dealt with an aging and ailing parent or grandparent can relate to that pain--but there is so much charm, humor and hope in the book, that the sadder moments didn't pull me down. I liked the glimpse of the south that Jackson gives through Leia--both the 'surface' south with all of its charm that Leia loves, and the more hidden south, with its prejudices and other issues that seethe below, and that she discovers when she looks at Birchville with new eyes. Although how Leia relates to life is through her love of superheroes and villains, art, graphic novels, and comics and that's not really a world I know much about, it isn't overdone and comes off as charmingly nerdy and fun. 

The Almost Sisters drew me in from the start and kept me turning the pages. I'd gladly go back to Birchville and these characters again. This book has all the pleasure of a good summer read that sweeps you away, while still hitting on some tougher issues. I look forward to exploring more of Jackson's novels.

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Author Notes: Joshilyn Jackson is the New York Times bestselling author of seven novels, including gods in Alabama and A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty. Her books have been translated into a dozen languages. A former actor, Jackson is also an award-winning audiobook narrator. She lives in Decatur, Georgia, with her husband and their two children.

Connect with her through her website, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.


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Food Inspiration:

It's the south so of course there was plenty of food in The Almost Sisters. Food mentioned included tequila, beer and wine, Easy Cheese, shrimp scampi, beef medallions, breakfast eggs, homemade jam, a fish fry with fried catfish, salad with iceberg lettuce, tomatoes and homemade ranch dressing, cheese grits, fried okra, cornbread, and icebox pie. There was an unfortunate salmon en papillote with asparagus and cherry tomatoes, sweet tea, homemade soup, hush puppies (don't add jalapenos and cheese at the church), pecan pound cake, Fiddle-Faddle, meringues, macarons, chicken soup, Cornish game hens, sliced tomatoes, tea with cinnamon and lemon, cinnamon rolls, carrot cake, chicken casseroles, mac-n-cheese, cake pops, a skinny vanilla latte, Nana's Lemon Bars, homemade biscuits, marrow broth and fried chicken livers, pancakes and bacon, carrot sticks, toffee cookies, blackberry jam, tea with bourbon, fudge, wild caught salmon and beets, hot cocoa, cake stuffed with strawberries, ham and potato casserole, muffins, lemonade and gingersnaps, sweet potatoes, oatmeal with berries, fried tomatoes, lady peas with bacon fat and collards, corn pudding, frozen "emergency casseroles" and chips.

So I actually decided on icebox pie as my book-inspired dish within the first several chapters of the book, starting with the mention of the food at the annual church fish fry which goes awry when Birchie has a public meltdown. Later, Leia ruminates that it is hard to reconcile this ailing and different Birchie with the grandmother who made her icebox pie. I liked the idea of this southern staple dessert and have been meaning to make one. As I read on, I found that later in the book icebox pie is in a couple of more negative scenes and mentions. Ah well, I had already bought my ingredients and so we'll just think of the positive memories icebox pie had for Leia. 

I found plenty of different recipes for icebox pie and quite a few for lemon icebox pies--which seems the most classic flavor. It's a busy and humid week here, so I looked for an un-baked version that was as quick and easy as possible. I ended up with a Betty Crocker recipe from the website that looked both simple and tasty. Although I have made and have no problem making a graham cracker crust, buying one was actually cheaper than buying a box of graham crackers that I likely wouldn't use the remainder of--and it shaved an hour+ off of my no-baking time. Plus, I watched The Kitchen on Food Network this weekend and Geoffrey Zakarian's tip for easy summer desserts was buying graham cracker pie crusts. I figure if an Iron Chef says to do it, I am OK. ;-)

No-Bake Lemon Icebox Pie
Filling Recipe from BettyCrocker.com
(Serves 8)

Crust: (if making--as mentioned, I bought a Keebler crust to save time)
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs--from 10 to 12 whole crackers
1/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
pinch of salt
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp grated lemon peel (I used about 1 1/2 Tbsp)

Crush graham crackers in food processor or in sealed food-storage plastic bag with rolling pin. In medium bowl, mix crust ingredients. Press evenly into un-greased 9-inch pie plate. Refrigerate 1 hour.  

In large bowl, beat Filling ingredients until smooth. Spread evenly in crust. Refrigerate 4 hours but no longer than 8 hours.

Serve with whipped cream if desired.

Notes/Results: It's really a shame that this pie is so good and so easy to make because I fear I may be making it again or dabbling in a variety of flavors of no-bake icebox pies this summer. There is just enough lemon in this one to make it tangy and refreshing, but the sweetened condensed milk sweetens it so it has a good balance. It also has a nice almost cheesecake like texture that I like. Since I was zesting lemons anyway, I zested all of mine before I squeezed them, added extra to the pie, and sprinkled some on top to garnish before freezing. I froze (instead of refrigerating) my pie about 5 hours before slicing (I was trying to catch decent light for photos) and it was just a bit soft. Since it was warm and pretty humid yesterday, my pie and my whipped topping rosettes got a bit melty quickly which is why some of the pics have slightly 'blobby'-looking whipped cream in them. Looks aside, it still tasted delicious. At about 7 hours of freezing, I inspected things (and maybe ate the first piece I cut and set aside...) and the firmness was optimal. The recipe says not to refrigerate it over 8 hours, but for me, I am going to leave it in the freezer as I like that almost-frozen texture. I would definitely make it again--probably with a homemade graham cracker or maybe a shortbread crust the next time.
 

I'm sharing this post with the Weekend Cooking event at Beth Fish Reads, a weekly event that is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share. For more information, see the welcome post.

 

Note: A review copy of "The Almost Sisters" was provided to me by the author and the publisher, Harper Collins, via TLC Book Tours. I was not compensated for this review and as always, my thoughts and opinions are my own.

You can see the stops for the rest of this TLC Book Tour and what other reviewers thought about the book here. 

 

Vichyssoise and Toasts with Caraway and Cheese Spread: Cooking Retro for #TheLostFamilySupperClub -- Celebrating "The Lost Family" by Jenna Blum

I am very excited to join with a group of fantastic food bloggers and the wonderful BookClubCookbook.com for The Lost Family Supper Club, cooking fabulous dishes to celebrate the publishing of The Lost Family, a new novel by Jenna Blum. The book combines foodie fiction with historical fiction and it also has a big dose of family drama thrown in.

A Note from the Author, Jenna Blum:

The Lost Family is a novel about a German-Jewish Auschwitz survivor named Peter Rashkin, who emigrates to New York, starts a restaurant, and falls in love—only to find his new American family haunted by the wife and daughters he lost during the war. Really, Peter is like Ferdinand the bull, except instead of wanting to smell the flowers, all he wants to do is cook. He was training as a chef in Berlin when the Nazis came to power; in America, being in his kitchen at Masha’s, his 1965 Manhattan restaurant named after his lost wife, is his happy place. The menus in The Lost Family are a fusion of 1965-era favorites and German-Jewish comfort food, Peter and Masha’s favorite childhood dishes:  Masha’s “Little Clouds” (cream puffs with chocolate fondue),  Brisket Wellington, Chicken Kiev, and my favorite, Masha Torte—an inside-out German chocolate cake with cherries flambé. There’s also a Hamburger Walter, invented for news anchor Walter Cronkite when dining at Masha’s, served Au Poivre with No Vegetables At All.  (my dad was a newswriter for CBS and he told me this was how Walter liked his hamburgers.)

I LOVE FOOD, and I had a joyous time creating and kitchen-testing all the recipes for Masha’s menus in The Lost Family (there are two, Spring 1966 and Fall 1965). I relied on my German friend Christiane’s mother’s recipes, my childhood memories of my Jewish grandmother’s dishes, the Mad Men Cookbook and similar cookbooks from the 1960s, and ingredients from my garden. I worked in food service for many years as a waitress and a prep chef to subsidize my expensive writing habit, but I’m not a chef, so there were some notable cataclysms, for instance throwing ice cubes into the oven to create crispy baguettes for Peter’s crostini (explosions) and dropping an entire Masha Torte on the floor (flaming explosion; we ate it anyway, and it was good!).

Yet part of me has always wanted to be a restaurateur. When I was a child I had a restaurant in my basement called Faster in which I held my parents hostage. For The Lost Family my fiancé and black Lab were my taste testers, but they were much more willing than my parents and gladly ate all the recipes. The lusciousness of food, its importance as art form, comfort and sustenance, runs throughout the novel like the marbling of fat in a good steak. I hope you enjoy it, and the story of the Fabulous Rashkins, as Peter calls himself and his daughter when he’s teaching her to cook, as well.

Although it flashes back to the 1940s and the World War II, The Lost Family is set primarily around three decades--the 1960s, from the point of view of Peter Raskin, the 1970s, from the point of view of his wife, June, and the 1980s, told from their daughter, Elsbeth's perspective. Peter lost his beloved wife Masha and his young twin daughters in the war when the Nazi regime took over Berlin and his horrific experience in the camps and their ghosts have never left him. He gets along by focusing on cooking at Masha's the Manhattan restaurant named for his wife. It is there he meets successful model, June Bouquet and eventually marries her. With the memories of his wife and daughter never far from his heart, he is not able to let June in, the way they both hope he will be able to and between that and June's inability to settle into motherhood, she is ripe for an affair with a young tennis pro at their New Jersey club. A young Elsbeth grows up with the issues of her parents setting her on a destructive path with an eating disorder and her own inappropriate romantic dalliance with a provocative photographer. 

I will say that the first part of the book worked best for me. I felt for Peter's tragic past and hoped he would find some peace and contentment in his life. I had sympathy for June--having to compete with the family Peter lost and wanting more from her life, but I had a very hard time liking her once she started her affair and because of her relationship with Elsbeth and her negative impact on her--particularly when it came to Elsbeth's appearance. Elsbeth was also a bit hard to like, especially once she reached her teenage years and all of her drama, but her actions were easier to understand, based on her age and her upbringing. Jenna Blum does a great job describing the different eras with what was happening and the "vibes" of the time. Although the biggest focus on food is in Peter's section of the book--especially with Masha's, it appears throughout the story in family dinners and parties, eating out, in Peter's second restaurant and testing recipes for a cookbook he is writing and Blum describes it well. Her food descriptions made me hungry and made me want to head to the kitchen. Overall, I much liked The Lost Family and the time capsule of history it provided. Readers who like history, family drama and relationships and food should enjoy it.

For my book-inspired dish, I knew I wanted to make soup and there were a few to choose from. From Masha's restaurant Fall 1965 menu there was the Cream of Mushroom Soup with House-Made Croutons, Crème Fraîche, Brandy & Chives and from the Spring 1966 menu the Spring Pea Soup with House-Made Croutons, Crème Fraîche, & Fresh Mint. Then there were mentions of gazpacho and a tub of vichyssoise in the Rashkin's refrigerator. I thought about making the pea soup but I love potato soup and vichyssoise, and since we have had a warm and humid week here, it was the soup that called to me the most. 

Even before I started the book, I was pulling out my vintage cookbooks to look for inspiration. I found it in two--Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook (my copy is from 1950) and The New York Times Cook Book (1961). I had made the Vichyssoise A La Ritz from the NYTCB several years ago and so I turned to Betty Crocker and found a recipe there. 

In the book, Elsbeth loves the dips and spreads that are at Ruth and Sol's--particularly the caviar spread, "...whose tiny eggs popped in her mouth with delicious flavor" and the scallion cream cheese. I'm not a big caviar fan myself but while perusing the appetizers in the NYTCB, I saw a "Caraway and Cheese Spread" with capers that I thought would be nice to serve alongside the soup--sort of a nod to Peter's croutons and Elsbeth's dips. 

Vichyssoise (Chilled)
Slightly Adapted from Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook
(Serves 6) 

The book notes: "The faint flavor of nutmeg gives this soup special distinction when served by Gertrude McGee of Minneapolis, Minnesota."

Brown lightly in 2 tbsp. butter...
2 leeks or small onions cut up

Add, simmer 35 min., stirring occasionally...
2 cups chicken broth (I used veggie non-chicken broth)
4 cups thinly sliced potato
1/2 tsp. salt

Press through fine sieve and add...
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg (I used celery salt)

Bring to boil. Strain and add...
1/2 cup scalded cream

Cool and chill several hr. Serve cold...
garnished with finely chopped chives. 

Caraway and Cheese Spread
Slightly Adapted from The New York Times Cook Book
(Makes About 1/2 Cup)

1 three-ounce package cream cheese
1 tablespoon capers
2 tablespoons caraway seeds
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 clove garlic, crushed or 1 teaspoon finely minced onion

Combine all the ingredients and beat well with a fork or in an electric mixer until well blended. Serve on miniature rounds of rye bread.

Notes/Results: Unlike Mrs. Gertrude McGee of Minneapolis, Minnesota, I am not much of a fan of nutmeg, but I did like her idea of giving the vichyssoise "distinction" so I replaced the nutmeg with celery seed. I really liked this soup--smooth, creamy and savory and perfectly refreshing on a hot day. I 'cheated' a bit and used the blender on my soup but then ran it through a fine sieve afterward to maximize it's smoothness. The cream cheese spread was excellent with it--the tangy, briny capers and slight bite of the caraway seed a good foil for the soup. Both the The Lost Family and these two delightful dishes reminded me that I need to pull out my old cookbooks more often. I would happily make both recipes again.

You can get more information on the book and the #TheLostFamilySupperParty here:

Twitter:
BookClubCookBook: https://twitter.com/bookclubcookboo
Jenna Blum: https://twitter.com/Jenna_Blum
Harper : https://twitter.com/harperbooks

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Pinterest:
BookClubCookBook: https://www.pinterest.com/bookclubcook/
Jenna Blum: https://www.pinterest.com/thejennablum
Harper: https://www.pinterest.com/harpercollins/

Many thanks to The Book Club Cookbook and to Jenna Blum for the copy of The Lost Family and a chance to join in. As always, I received no compensation for my review and my thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Lost Family is my fifth foodie book entry for the Foodies Read 2018 event. You can check out the June 2018 Foodies Read linkup, hosted by Heather at Based on a True Story, to see what everyone is reading this month.   

 
And, since it's Sunday, Judee is hanging out with me in the Souper Sundays kitchen--let's take a look!

Judee of Gluten Free A-Z Blog brought Roasted Carrot Hotdogs and said, "It looks like a hot dog-  but is it really  a roasted carrot ? Looking for a vegan and gluten free hot dog alternative for your next BBQ? Well first look in your refrigerator for a bag of carrots. Yes, marinated roasted whole carrots look like hot dogs and fit perfectly on a hot dog roll ( gluten free of course). Add some ketchup, mustard and even a little sauerkraut and you now have the star of the BBQ. Healthy, tasty, easy, gluten free and vegan!"

 
Thanks Judee!
  
About Souper Sundays:

Souper Sundays is back with a new format of a picture link each week where anyone interested can post their soups, salads, or sandwiches any time during the week and I post a recap of the entries the following 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 her in order to be included in the weekly round-up.

and 

On your entry post (on your blog):

• Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and 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 it on your post, it will be removed.)
• You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (optional).

An InLinkz Link-up

Have a happy, healthy week!