Brandon Hertzler’s Cold Soup Recipes

Brandon Hertzler shared amazing cold soup recipes at his cooking class on August 16. Here they are!

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Chilled Peach Soup with Ginger

In this appetizer recipe, fresh, juicy peaches are blended with sweet elevated flavor of roasted carrot puree. The body of the soup thickened with tangy plain Greek yogurt and spiked with ginger and lime for a subtle Asian flavor.

Ingredients

2 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

½-inch piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

¾ cup plain Greek yogurt

¾ to 1 cup coconut milk (could use half-and-half or light cream if desired)

3 teaspoons fresh lime juice

12 to 15 freestone yellow peaches with skins removed; cut into ½-inch cubes.

¾ cup orange juice

Salt, to taste

A dash of cayenne pepper powder

1⁄8 teaspoon curry powder

2 tablespoons of fresh mint, finely chopped

¾ cup sliced almonds or crumbled cashews, lightly toasted, for garnish

Instructions

Simmer carrot, ginger, and 1½ cups water in a 1-quart saucepan over medium-high heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer carrots and ginger to a blender, puree and allow to cool. Add all other ingredients; puree until smooth. Chill at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours before serving to allow flavors to develop. Garnish with almonds/crumbled cashews. Makes 8 servings.

Grilled-Vegetable Gazpacho

Classic gazpacho combines raw vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers and onions with red wine vinegar for a little kick. This recipe transforms the southern Spain dish by using grilled vegetables to add a deeper flavor layer while brightening it with a blend of vinegar, orange juice and lemon juice. Additionally, we will blend the soup longer than a traditional gazpacho.

Ingredients

3 large garlic cloves, unpeeled

2 large red bell peppers, cored and quartered

2 large yellow bell peppers, cored and quartered

2 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise 1/2-inch thick

1 large homegrown candy onion, cut into 1/2-inch slabs

2 ears of homegrown bicolor corn, husked

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1½ teaspoons ground cumin

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

½ – 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

4 medium homegrown tomatoes

2 cups tomato juice

½ cup fresh orange juice

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

½ cup chopped cilantro *if desired

2 English cucumbers with skin, 1½ cubed, ½ thinly sliced for garnish

Instructions

Make an X with a paring knife on the bottom of the tomatoes. Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water for 15 seconds, remove and transfer to an ice bath and allow to cool until able to handle, approximately 1 minute. Remove and pat dry. Peel, core and seed the tomatoes. Set aside to continue to cool.

Light a grill. Thread the garlic cloves onto a skewer. Lightly brush the garlic, bell peppers, zucchini, onion and corn with the vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the vegetables over moderately high heat, turning frequently, until lightly charred and crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer the peppers to a bowl, cover with plastic and let steam for 10 minutes. Allowing the peppers to steam will soften them, if you desire more texture in your gazpacho, feel free to skip this step.

Meanwhile, remove the garlic cloves from the skewers, peel them and transfer to a large bowl. Using a large serrated knife, cut the charred corn kernels into the bowl. Peel the peppers and add them to the bowl along with the zucchini, onion, cumin, crushed red pepper, tomatoes, tomato juice, orange juice, lemon juice and vinegar.

Working in batches, puree the vegetable mixture in a blender or food processor. Pour the gazpacho into a clean bowl and season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours, however the longer you allow to chill, the greater the flavor complexity will become.

Just before serving, stir the cilantro into the gazpacho if desired. Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with the cucumber and serve. Makes 10 servings

Chilled Cantaloupe Basil Soup with Prosciutto

This final dish transforms the popular Italian Prosciutto e Melone appetizer into a sweet, refreshing summer soup option.

Ingredients

2 cantaloupes

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons Bragg apple cider vinegar

½ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt

3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto

4 tablespoons of basil, thinly sliced

Freshly grated hard Parmesan cheese to garnish

Instructions

Peel, remove seeds from both cantaloupes and cut into ½-inch chunks. Puree the cantaloupe chunks in a food processor until very smooth. Add apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, basil and sour cream/Greek yogurt, and pulse (or stir together) until thoroughly mixed, just 10 to 15 seconds or so. Pour into a serving bowl or pitcher and store in the refrigerator until the soup is well chilled, for at least 1 hour or overnight.

About 15 minutes before you’d like to serve the soup, sauté the prosciutto in a small sauté pan over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until crispy, about 7 minutes. Let it cool and then top each serving of soup. Makes 6 to 8 servings.