ISO Elegant soup recipes

[Kayelle]

Personally, I wouldn't serve soup as a first course with the festive meal you've planned. An elegant salad would be my choice and this beautiful salad sounds perfect for a Christmas meal.
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/be...berry-dressing

[PrincessFiona60]

A salad would be more complimentary to the Beef Wellington.

[JustJoel]

I’m sure that this recipe would be exceptionally tempting. For people who like beets! Unfortunately, I’m not one of them. I dont hate many things, but beets are on the top of the short list! I dislike them so much that I refuse to cook them. Mark loves beets, and it’s up to him to purchase and prepare them. And I refuse to even be in the house while he’s cooking them!

I’m considering steamed clams for a first course, so soup would be redundant, and I’m rethinking it. I might make some anyway though, just because I. Like. Soup. Cream of mushroom. Sometimes you gotta cook for yourself, right?

[GotGarlic]

Maybe you missed this in your "Still too soon?" thread, but I had a couple of suggestions:

Start with a winter salad or light soup. For salad, I'd do mixed greens with dried cherries or cranberries, chopped apples, goat cheese and a dressing made with apple white balsamic vinegar. For soup, maybe a cup of butternut squash soup with gingerbread croutons.

[buckytom]

Originally Posted by msmofet

Is that the soup served at Mt. Fuji?
If so do you have a recipe? I would love it.

Yes, it is!
I don't have a recipe, but it's so simple you don't really need one after you make it once.

Just make a dashi broth (place a small 2" to 3" square piece of kombu/dried kelp in 2 cups of water, turn on the heat. Just as it begins to barely start to boil, remove the kombu, and add the bonito. Bring to a boil, turn off the heat and let stand 10 minutes. Strain out the bonito and give some to your cats for a treat).

I like to grill some sliced matsutake or king oyster mushrooms, but you can just use plain.

Bring the dashi back to a simmer, then ladel some into bowls. Add the sluced mushrooms and sime frizzled onions.

That's it, Japanese clear soup like in Mt. Fuji.

[medtran49]

The dashi recipe I have has you fold the bonito flakes in a couple of paper towels like a package/envelope, then slip it in the water gently so the towels stick together and don't open up. None of the flakes get out that way but the flavor still filters out into the kombu broth.

[buckytom]

I can see that working, med, but my cats would end up eating the paper towels.

But yes, that would clarify the broth very nicely.

I've heard some folks pour it through a coffee filter to obtain a similar result.

[profnot]

How about carrot soup with fresh ginger? It was served with Prime Rib at a New Year's dinner party I attended. Very fresh and light taste, balanced well with richness of beef.

Heat great low-sodium chicken broth.
Add carrot slices.
Cook for an hour or more.
Peel fresh ginger root with a spoon.
Julienne the slices and add to broth. (Long, thin slices.)
Add a few slices of fresh green onion.
Cook for 10 - 15 minutes then serve.

Cooking the ginger less than carrots brings out flavour and punch.

[JustJoel]

Originally Posted by profnot

How about carrot soup with fresh ginger? It was served with Prime Rib at a New Year's dinner party I attended. Very fresh and light taste, balanced well with richness of beef.

Heat great low-sodium chicken broth.
Add carrot slices.
Cook for an hour or more.
Peel fresh ginger root with a spoon.
Julienne the slices and add to broth. (Long, thin slices.)
Add a few slices of fresh green onion.
Cook for 10 - 15 minutes then serve.

Cooking the ginger less than carrots brings out flavour and punch.

That sounds marvelous! I may try it tonight.

[Kayelle]

Originally Posted by profnot

How about carrot soup with fresh ginger? It was served with Prime Rib at a New Year's dinner party I attended. Very fresh and light taste, balanced well with richness of beef.

Heat great low-sodium chicken broth.
Add carrot slices.
Cook for an hour or more.
Peel fresh ginger root with a spoon.
Julienne the slices and add to broth. (Long, thin slices.)
Add a few slices of fresh green onion.
Cook for 10 - 15 minutes then serve.

Cooking the ginger less than carrots brings out flavour and punch.

I'm curious about more specific instructions. For example do you strain or blend the soup? Cook carrot slices for an hour or more? I can't imagine the carrot slices having any flavor left to float in the soup for presentation. Then there's the ginger and green onion.

[Kevin86]

Curious, what makes a soup elegant? Can you explain elegant from non elegant?

For example tomato soup can be creamy, rich, smooth, flavourful, silky this seems elegant but it’s also a #1 favourite of slurpy 5 year olds lol. I don’t know many parents that would say tomato soup and garlic bread or grill cheese is too good for a spilt mess.

Soups origins are to feed the family from very little. Even a good proper Italian soup is chopped vegis and broth simmered with time and love.

Is a creamy potato soup thick, hearty, rich garnished with bacon and cheese. Simple and filling is this elegant or comfort food to eat on the couch in your pajamas.

That’s the beauty of soup it fits any want any need any occasion. It just works.

Chicken noodle soup? If you class it up with bow tie noodles is it elegant then or coloured noodles or ...?

Chicken soup with a poached or hard boiled egg and a chicken foot in it is used in special celebrations in different cultures. So I think pick your favourite yummiest soup and go for it

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Originally Posted by JustJoel

I’m rounding out my Christmas dinner menu. I thought French onion soup would be nice, but I’m not up to making gluten-free French bread just to top off the soup! I am accustomed to making cream soups, but for this dinner, I’d like something a little lighter, and a little more gentile, but not too labor-intensive.

I’d also like a unicorn for Hanukkah (I don’t even know if they’re kosher!).

If you can help me with some ideas, or with finding a unicorn, please respond! What would you serve as the soup course for a beef Wellington and lobster tail main course?

Light, tasty, and elegant. That's what these soups are. They are what I call essence soups, and are clear broths with all of the flavor you could ever want, but are light, non-filling, and wet the appetite.

1. Mushroom Essence Soup:
1/2 lb. cremini, or white button mushrooms.
1 pkg. dried wild mushrooms
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
2 pints water
Kikoman Lite soy sauce

Place mushrooms in a suitable pot and cover with the water. Bring to a boil and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and set aside to use in something else. Add the ginger, and a couple tbs. of soy sauce. Stir, and let simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and add more soy sauce if needed. The flavor is rich mushroom, and will just make you humgry. What makes it elegant is that it is the first course of a superb meal.

2. Clam Essence Soup
1 can baby clams
1/2 cup clam juice
1/2 onion, minced
2 cups water
Mince the clams. place 2 tbs. butter into a saucepan. Add the onions and sweat over medium heat until softened. Add the clams and saute for 5 minutes. Cover with the water and clam juice. Season lightly with white pepper. Serve as the appetizer.

3. Hot & Sour Soup
4 cups good chicken broth, fortified with collagen from chicken bones, and feet. Strain the broth after boiling the bones and collagen for an hour. Add 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper, and 1/4 cup rice-wine vinegar. Top with mined chives.

5. Tomato-Bisque with Havarti Cubes:
8 oz. tomato pure
12 oz. diced tomato
1 rsp. sweet basil, dried
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 oz Havarti Cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
Combine all ingredients except cheese cubes and simmer for 20 minutes. Ladle into serving bowls and add cheese cubes to each bowl. Serve piping hot with good, yeasty bread. this one is elegant just because it's so very good.

6. Cauliflower soup
1 head of fresh cauliflower
Old Bay Seasoning
1 stick salted butter
This soups is so silky smooth, it's almost hard to fathom. The mouthfeel is luxurious. Steam the cauliflower until tender. Place the cooked and hot cauliflower into a blender along with the butter and a little Old Bay. Blend on highest speed until silky smooth. Taste and correct the seasoning with a little black pepper.

Hope this helps.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North