Chilled Avocado Soup

 Chilled Avocado Soup

Last week I had the amazing opportunity to learn food photography at a workshop in South Carolina from the one and only Helene Dujardin. Having read her book and followed her work for so long, it was really a dream come true (sadly the book is no longer in print so I suggest heading over to the library to get your hands on it). We learned everything from how to compose, take and edit beautiful photographs to the ins and outs of the business. With Helene patiently guiding us, I couldn't believe some of the photographs I took (I'll be slowly sharing them via instagram)!

One of the lovely perks of the workshop was being able to play with all of Helene's props. It was seriously prop heaven. So many bowls, plates, linens, utensils and backgrounds laid out for our picking. When I got back, the first thing I did was head over to an art supply store to see if I could recreate one of my favorite backgrounds. It's not as good but I'm pretty excited to be sharing it in today's photo. Hopefully I'll be acquiring some more backgrounds so that I can stop using my dining table for every picture which I'm sure you're tired of by now.

This week is unseasonably warm here in New York so I thought I'd share one of my favorite summer recipes. Chilled avocado soup. I love the cold velvety texture and how it cools down your body on a hot summer day. I wish I could tell you that there's no stove action required like many of the avocado soups on the net but I promise you it's worth the extra effort. The soup is really easy but make sure you leave a few hours for all of the chilling necessary.

Sweating Onions

In a small pot, sweat some sliced onions with butter and a pinch of salt. Once the onions are translucent and tender, add chicken or vegetable stock and simmer for 5 minutes. Chill the stock to at least room temperature and blend with the avocados and heavy cream and season with salt and pepper. Chill the soup in the fridge until ready to serve (may take a couple of hours). Garnish with some parsley and you're ready to eat!

Optional garnish include lime and minced serrano chilis to give it some zing and heat.

Chilled Avocado Soup 2

Chilled Avocado Soup
 
Recipe Type: Soup
Author: Yukari
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 small onion
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
  • 2 avocados
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • Handful of Parsley
  • (Optional garnish) Serrano Chile
  • (Optional garnish) Limes
Instructions
  1. Slice the onion and sweat in a small pot with the butter and a pinch of salt over low heat until the onions are translucent and tender
  2. Add the stock and simmer for 5 minutes
  3. Chill the stock
  4. Blend the stock, avocados, and heavy cream
  5. Season with salt and pepper
  6. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve
  7. Garnish with parsley (and optional garnishes)
 


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