Julia Child’s Cream of Cucumber Soup

Julia Child’S Cream Of Cucumber Soup
Yield: 1 Servings

Ingredients
2 lb cucumbers
2 tb butter
1/3 c onions or shallots; chopped
5 c chicken stock
1 tb wine vinegar
1/2 c dill; chopped
1/4 c quick-cooking farina
1 salt and pepper
1 c sour cream or creme fraiche

Instructions

Peel and score cucumbers. Slice one-quarter of a cucumber into paper-thin slices and set aside. Seed and roughly chop the remaining cucumbers.

Melt the butter and cook the onions or shallots until wilted, for 2 to 3 minutes; add the chopped cucumbers, broth, vinegar, and 1/3 cup of the dill. Bring the broth to a boil, and whisk in the farina. Simmer uncovered until the farina is very soft, about 20 minutes. Puree.

Before serving, reheat the broth, thinning, if necessary, with a bit more broth or water, and correcting the seasonings. Whisk in one-half of the sour cream or creme fraiche. Garnish with cucumber slices and the remaining dill. Serve the remaining sour cream or creme fraiche on the side to add to the soup, or add a spoonful with the garnish.

For a cold version, chill, and just before serving, whisk in chilled sour cream or creme fraiche, garnishing as above.

Serves 4 to 6.

Original recipe is from:
http://recipes.chef2chef.net/recipe-archive/18/101268.shtml

I really liked this recipe because a cream of cucumber is different from the typical cream soups we see such as cream of mushroom. The soup tasted fresh, and surprisingly not too heavy (I didn’t whisk in the sour cream as suggested by the recipe). I’m sure if you were to add in the sour cream or crème fraiche, the soup might taste a bit heavier. I tried both the chilled and heated versions. It’s definitely more of a winter soup than a summer soup due to its thick consistency.

Farina is a grainy ingredient used in a lot of cereals and cream of wheat. The farina helps thicken the soup. If you’re looking to serve this soup chilled and in the summertime (when we’re craving lighter soups), not using farina works just as well. If you can’t find farina, a good substitute is quick-cook grits or rice. I prefer the rice to the grits because rice has less of a grainy texture.

I tried substituting extra virgin olive oil for the butter to be healthier. The soup didn’t turn out as well without the butter. So if you’re more health-conscious, I recommend using a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter. The butter really does add a rich flavor to the cream of cucumber soup.

I’m also a huge fan of scallion and onion combinations. Scallions go well with the dill flavor, so garnishing the soup with some scallions, and eating that with the soup is quite delicious.

If you’re enjoying this in the summertime, a fun way to serve is to hollow a cantaloupe half, and serve the soup in the empty cantaloupe shell.