Let's see a show of hands here: When you heard on Oct 5 that Daniel Boulud's restaurant Daniel was just was awarded three-star Michelin status, did it inspire you to run out and prepare one of Boulud's dishes in your own kitchen? No, me neither. In fact, truth be told, I wasn't familiar with the chef.
But in a timely coincidence I happened to have make one of his recipes just days earlier.
Last week Gavin Kaysen of Cafe Boulud prepared dinner at the Beard House (I know this because I "follow" @beardfoundation on Twitter). One dish that he made was Daniel Boulud's Chilled Tomato Soup with Basil Guacamole. I had just picked up some end of summer tomatoes from our local farm stand, and, amazingly, had all of the other ingredients on hand (well, it turned out that my leeks and fennel had gotten a bit too old in the fridge, so I had to replace them) so I cooked it right up.
n.o.e.'s notes:
- I loved the taste of the pureed soup before adding the tomato juice.
- Basil and avocado are a new combination for me, and I was glad to have a chance to use some of my basil (which really flourished in the herb garden this summer) in making the basil guacamole.
- An immersion blender comes in very handy to puree the soup without having to clean the big blender.
- I didn't end up straining the soup, opting to leave it "rustic", since it was weeknight dinner for my husband and me. If I were serving this soup to company, I'd definitely strain it.
the verdict:
This is a great soup to have in the summer arsenal. Cool, refreshing, complex, refined (especially once it's strained). All of the vegetables added depth of flavor. The soup lasted a long time in the fridge, and was delicious for lunch or along with dinner. And while it's just a little intimidating to make comments/suggestions about a 3-star Michelin chef's recipe (!) I think I'd reduce the tomato juice the next time, as I thought it masked the other flavors just a tiny bit.
8 comments:
What a lovely summer soup!
I had no idea Boulud was awarded 3 stars. Thanks for the update!
Basil guacamole? How... odd :) It's one of the places that I just *need* cilantro. But the whole thing does sound wonderful, and just a perfect weeknight dinner.
Looks absolutely delicious Nancy.
IT looks beautiful, and sounds delicious. I would never have thought of a basil/avocado combo, but that's probably why I'm not Daniel Boloud!
There is a Daniel Boulud restaurant in Vegas that is on my list of restaurants to try next time (the list is way way way too long).
I'm a big fan of chilled soups. This one looks yummy.
Gorgeous soup--I love cold tomato soups and the avocado & basil sound perfect in it.
The combination of flavors sounds delicious Nancy! I love having soup in the fridge to heat for a quick meal. I'm not a huge fan of cold soups so I'll have to find a similar hot version :)
I am trying this one for sure. My basil is pretty much gone this year, so might have to wait until summer, but I am copying it and putting it in my files. Who knows, it sounds so tempting, might just be worth making now anyway!
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