Cold and Summer Soups
Cooking Skills: Soups and Stocks 1
Chapter 6 · Cold and Summer Soups
Skill goal
Make soups that taste fresh when cold, by seasoning boldly and chilling properly.
Shopping list for this chapter
The basics
A cold soup is not a hot soup that has been left to cool. Cold dulls flavour, so it must be seasoned boldly, with more salt, more acid and more fresh herbs than you think, and tasted cold at the end. Some cold soups (gazpacho, cucumber) are never cooked at all, and others (vichyssoise, chilled pea) are cooked and then chilled fast. Use ripe, in-season vegetables, because there's nowhere for a poor tomato to hide.
Serve cold soups in chilled bowls with a fresh, crunchy or creamy topping: croutons, chopped cucumber, a swirl of oil or yogurt. Chilled soups need careful temperature control, so read the safety box. Leek and potato soup hot is in Cooking Skills: Potatoes 1, chapter 8; vichyssoise is its cold cousin, made smoother and richer.
The method
- Choose ripe, flavourful vegetables; a cold soup tastes only of what goes into it.
- Blend very smooth, then sieve if you want it silky.
- Season boldly with salt and acid, and taste again after chilling, because cold mutes flavour.
- Chill for at least 2 hours, or overnight, below 5°C.
- Serve in chilled bowls with a drizzle of good oil, herbs and something crunchy.
| Soup | Cooked? | Base | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gazpacho | No | Tomato, pepper, cucumber, bread | Olive oil, diced vegetables |
| Cucumber and yogurt | No | Cucumber, yogurt, mint | Dill, olive oil |
| Chilled pea | Briefly | Peas, stock, mint | Yogurt, lemon |
| Vichyssoise | Yes | Leek, potato, stock, cream | Chives, cream |
Chilled soups, hot pot and allergens
Chilled soups: a cold soup is safe only if it stays cold. Cool cooked soup quickly in shallow containers, keep it below 5°C, serve it within about 2 days, and don't leave it on the table for more than an hour or two on a warm day.Blending hot soup: hot liquid expands in a sealed blender and can blow the lid off and scald you badly. The safest choice is a stick blender in a deep pan, held low with the head fully under the surface. With a jug blender, cool the soup for a few minutes, fill it no more than half, take out the small centre cap of the lid, cover it with a folded cloth, hold it down and start on the lowest speed.
Allergens in soup and stock: celery is one of the 14 major allergens and is in most stocks and stock cubes. Check cubes for celery, gluten, milk, soya, mustard and sulphites, and tell guests what is in the pot, because soup hides ingredients.
Sharp knives: a sharp knife is safer than a blunt one because it needs less force. Cut away from your body, steady the board with a damp cloth under it, curl your fingertips on the food you are holding and put the knife down flat when you are talking.
Try it
Level 1 · Start here
Gazpacho
The Spanish summer soup, and an excuse to buy the best tomatoes you can. Soak stale bread in a little water to give body, blend everything smooth, season boldly and chill for at least 2 hours.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 1 kg ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 thick slice of stale bread, torn and soaked in water
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp flaked sea salt
- Squeeze the bread dry, put it in a blender with the tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, garlic, 3 tbsp of oil, the vinegar and salt, and blend very smooth in batches.
- Pass through a sieve for a silky soup, then taste and adjust the salt and vinegar.
- Chill for at least 2 hours. Serve in cold bowls with a drizzle of oil and diced cucumber.
Chilled soup, blending and allergens
Chilled soups: a cold soup is safe only if it stays cold. Cool cooked soup quickly in shallow containers, keep it below 5°C, serve it within about 2 days, and don't leave it on the table for more than an hour or two on a warm day.Sharp knives: a sharp knife is safer than a blunt one because it needs less force. Cut away from your body, steady the board with a damp cloth under it, curl your fingertips on the food you are holding and put the knife down flat when you are talking.
Allergens in soup and stock: celery is one of the 14 major allergens and is in most stocks and stock cubes. Check cubes for celery, gluten, milk, soya, mustard and sulphites, and tell guests what is in the pot, because soup hides ingredients.
Allergens: contains gluten (bread) and sulphites (vinegar).
Level 1 · Fresh
Cucumber and yogurt soup
A Balkan-style soup, cool and tangy, in 15 minutes. Grated cucumber and thick yogurt need only garlic, mint and olive oil. Thin it with a little cold water or ice and season well, because yogurt is mild.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 2 cucumbers, peeled and grated
- 500 g plain Greek yogurt
- 150 ml cold water
- 1 small garlic clove, grated
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
- 1 tbsp chopped dill
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon, juice
- Stir the cucumber, yogurt, water, garlic, mint, dill and half the lemon juice together. Season with salt and pepper.
- Chill for at least 1 hour. Taste and add more lemon or salt.
- Serve in cold bowls with olive oil and a little extra dill.
Chilled soup and allergens
Chilled soups: a cold soup is safe only if it stays cold. Cool cooked soup quickly in shallow containers, keep it below 5°C, serve it within about 2 days, and don't leave it on the table for more than an hour or two on a warm day.Sharp knives: a sharp knife is safer than a blunt one because it needs less force. Cut away from your body, steady the board with a damp cloth under it, curl your fingertips on the food you are holding and put the knife down flat when you are talking.
Allergens: contains milk.
Level 2 · Green
Chilled pea soup
The pea and mint soup of chapter 4, served cold. To keep it bright green, cook the peas for only 3 minutes, then plunge the soup into an ice bath before blending. Add the mint at the end and season boldly.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 500 g frozen peas
- 500 ml vegetable stock, unsalted
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 15 g fresh mint leaves
- 1 lemon, juice
- 3 tbsp plain yogurt, to serve
- Sweat the onion in the oil for 8 minutes, add the stock and bring to a boil. Add the peas and cook for 3 minutes.
- Stand the pan in a sink of iced water for 10 minutes, add the mint, and blend smooth. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
- Chill for at least 2 hours, thin with cold water if needed, and serve with yogurt.
Hot blending, chilling and allergens
Blending hot soup: hot liquid expands in a sealed blender and can blow the lid off and scald you badly. The safest choice is a stick blender in a deep pan, held low with the head fully under the surface. With a jug blender, cool the soup for a few minutes, fill it no more than half, take out the small centre cap of the lid, cover it with a folded cloth, hold it down and start on the lowest speed.Chilled soups: a cold soup is safe only if it stays cold. Cool cooked soup quickly in shallow containers, keep it below 5°C, serve it within about 2 days, and don't leave it on the table for more than an hour or two on a warm day.
Allergens in soup and stock: celery is one of the 14 major allergens and is in most stocks and stock cubes. Check cubes for celery, gluten, milk, soya, mustard and sulphites, and tell guests what is in the pot, because soup hides ingredients.
Level 3 · Classic
Vichyssoise
Leek and potato soup, cooked white (no browning), blended very smooth, enriched with cream and chilled. It needs a good seasoning once cold. Use only the white and pale green of the leeks for a pale soup.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 30 g butter
- 3 leeks (white and pale green), sliced
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 300 g floury potatoes, peeled and diced
- 800 ml vegetable stock, unsalted
- 100 ml double cream
- 1 tbsp chopped chives
- Melt the butter and sweat the leeks and onion with the lid on, without colour, for 10 minutes.
- Add the potatoes and stock and simmer for 20 minutes until soft. Blend very smooth, pass through a sieve, and stir in the cream.
- Cool quickly in an ice bath, chill for at least 3 hours, season boldly, and serve with chives.
Hot blending, cream, chilling and allergens
Blending hot soup: hot liquid expands in a sealed blender and can blow the lid off and scald you badly. The safest choice is a stick blender in a deep pan, held low with the head fully under the surface. With a jug blender, cool the soup for a few minutes, fill it no more than half, take out the small centre cap of the lid, cover it with a folded cloth, hold it down and start on the lowest speed.Hot milk and cream: milk and cream boil over in seconds and burn worse than water. Keep the heat low, stay at the pan, and add dairy at the end. Never boil a soup once it has cream, or it may split.
Chilled soups: a cold soup is safe only if it stays cold. Cool cooked soup quickly in shallow containers, keep it below 5°C, serve it within about 2 days, and don't leave it on the table for more than an hour or two on a warm day.
Allergens: contains milk and celery.
Experiments
Experiment
Seasoned cold or warm
Seasoning.
- Season one pot while warm and another after chilling, and compare when cold.
Look for: The soup seasoned while warm tastes flat when cold; adjusting it cold gives the right level.
Experiment
Blended long or short
Texture.
- Blend half a pot of gazpacho for 30 seconds and half for 3 minutes.
Look for: The long blend is silky and slightly paler; the short one is more rustic and stays red.
Experiment
A night in the fridge
Flavour.
- Taste a gazpacho the same day and after a night in the fridge.
Look for: The flavours blend overnight and the soup tastes rounder; adjust the salt and vinegar again.
Experiment
An ice cube or not
Temperature.
- Serve one bowl straight from the fridge and another with an ice cube dropped in.
Look for: A chilled bowl is better than ice, which dilutes the soup as it melts; chill the bowls instead.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gazpacho | ||||
| Cucumber and yogurt soup | ||||
| Chilled pea soup | ||||
| Vichyssoise | ||||
| Seasoned cold or warm | ||||
| Blended long or short | ||||
| A night in the fridge | ||||
| An ice cube or not |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Flat, bland soup | Under-seasoned | Add salt and acid; taste when cold |
| Watery gazpacho | Watery tomatoes | Use ripe tomatoes; add bread or oil |
| Grey-green pea soup | Overcooked peas | Cook for 3 minutes, then cool in an ice bath |
| Grainy vichyssoise | Waxy potatoes or under-blended | Use floury potatoes; blend, then sieve |
| Bitter soup | Peel or pips of cucumber, or old garlic | Peel and deseed; use fresh garlic |
| Soup warm in the middle | Not chilled long enough | Chill for at least 2 hours below 5°C |
Chilled soups and leftovers
Chilled soups: a cold soup is safe only if it stays cold. Cool cooked soup quickly in shallow containers, keep it below 5°C, serve it within about 2 days, and don't leave it on the table for more than an hour or two on a warm day.Blending hot soup: hot liquid expands in a sealed blender and can blow the lid off and scald you badly. The safest choice is a stick blender in a deep pan, held low with the head fully under the surface. With a jug blender, cool the soup for a few minutes, fill it no more than half, take out the small centre cap of the lid, cover it with a folded cloth, hold it down and start on the lowest speed.
Cooling and keeping stock: stock is an ideal place for bacteria to grow. Strain it, then cool it quickly in shallow containers or an ice bath, chill within 1 to 2 hours, and use within about 2 days (fish stock within 1 day) or freeze it. Never leave a big pot to cool slowly on the hob or worktop overnight. Reheat until steaming hot all the way through.
Checkpoint: can you do this now?
- I can season a soup for serving cold.
- I can make a soup without cooking it.
- I can cool a soup quickly in an ice bath.
- I keep cold soups below 5°C.
- I can serve soup in chilled bowls.
Next chapter
Cooking Skills: Soups and Stocks 1, chapter 7 is Garnishes and Soup Breads: texture, finishing and what goes beside the bowl.