This week, we’re swooning over this perfect-for-a-hot-day dish by Brenna Welch of Louisa Detroit.
When I lived in New Orleans, I worked off and on at an old school cash only neighborhood bistro. The space had a lot of character, or maybe employed a lot of characters. Our chef, Angela, lived above the restaurant. She had been running the kitchen for 15 years. New Orleans summertime heat is oppressive, and the kitchen didn’t have AC, only these old window fans that made a lot of noise, but did very little to cool things off. During dinner, that kitchen would be triple digits hot, but Angela ran specials that saved her from turning on the stove. Her avocado soup always sold out. She’d serve it with diced tomatoes and creme fraiche.
Angela spoke Spanish almost exclusively, we did our best to get around the language barrier, but it meant I never learned her recipe for avocado soup. I remember asking her how she got it so creamy, and she said she used very cold ice water and kept her ingredients in the fridge. I didn’t understand at the time, but now I know that if it’s all cold, when you add the oil, it emulsifies into a luxurious cream.
This soup is a perfect quick dinner for the heat of summer. Something to break up all the salads.
Cold Avocado Soup
INGREDIENTS
2 cups cold water
1 whole cucumber, cut into quarters
2.5 oz Planted Romaine
1 oz Planted Cilantro
¼ cup fresh lime juice
1 clove garlic
1 poblano pepper, stem & seeds removed
2 tbsp salt
4 avocados, pits & skins removed
½ cup olive oil
Tools
Blender or food processor
Method
- Add all ingredients except olive oil into blender. Blend until smooth.
- Drizzle oil in while the blender is running.
- Pour into bowls and garnish. I love cilantro, diced onion, chili oil, creme fraiche, pepitas, flaky salt, anything goes.
Soup will keep for up to 4 days in fridge. It may darken a bit on top, but this doesn’t affect flavor, and is easily fixed by stirring or blending again.
Pro tip: use leftovers to dress a pasta or potato salad.
Check out Brenna’s other creations, including some pretty beautiful cakes, on the Louisa Detroit Instagram!