Summer is here. The lines for the cardio machines at the gym are so long, you would think they were waiting to get on the Matterhorn or Space Mountain rather than the stair-climber. Bikini weather is soon upon us and so many people are frantically exercising and eating salads squirted with lemon instead of dressing for their every meal. If however, you feel your pants are too loose, than I have just the thing(actually probably everything on my blog could do the trick).
Fresh corn is every where right now and so to mix it up from my usual way of making it(just sauted in butter with salt and a pinch of cream) I decided that corn chowder sounded good. I have made this several times. It is best with lobster of course, but I was cheap this time around and used shrimp. I use lobster stock, which if you don’t have or your store does not carry it, use fish stock or even vegetable stock in it’s place. The more people you have this to share with the better. I on the other hand had no one(since my husband doesn’t like soups of any kind) and so I was forced to eat half of the pot in one day. I wont have to worry about my pants being loose anytime soon.

Oh, and I have never made this low fat so I have no idea how that would turn out. I wouldn’t suggest it, but then again I rarely suggest anyting be fat free.

Grilled Corn and Shrimp Chowder

¼ cup diced celery
¼ cup diced onion
¼ cup diced carrot
1 garlic clove, chopped
¼ cup of butter plus one TBSP
2 cups russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
½ tsp coriander
a dash of white pepper
sea salt to taste
4 cups of lobster stock(or fish stock if you don’t have lobster stock)
1 TBSP chicken flavor base
2 ½ cups heavy cream
¾ pound of shrimp, raw, peeled and deveined 
1 ¾ cup grilled fresh corn, cut off of the cob after grilling

1.In a large stock pot, cook celery, carrot, onion and garlic in 1 TBSP of butter. Saute for about 5 minutes, until tender.
2.Add potatoes, coriander, white pepper and lobster stock. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for about 30 minutes, while the stock reduces.
3.Add chicken base, cream and ¼ cup butter(bad I know but really good). Simmer another 20 minutes.
4.Check soup to see if it needs salt, it might not.
5.Stir in the shrimp and the corn. Wait for shrimp to turn pink and curl up, about 2 minutes.
6.Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with parsley or maybe crumbled bacon(mmm) if desired.

If you read my blog on a semi-regular basis you know that it is mostly baking with a sprinkle of soup and few things here and there. So when Tami over at Running with Tweezers decided to have a soup challenge I was super excited and I knew exactly what soup to make. It is my favorite of favorites. One I created for my friend L who loves all things blue cheese. This soup is thick and velvety with a nice touch of blue cheese and a hint of garlic….and even better it is topped with bacon. It’s best not to figure out how many calories is in this baby…I’m not sure there are enough hours in the day to work it off.

This is my go to soup for just about every occasion. If you have eaten dinner at my house, chances are you have had this soup at least once. I say at least because pretty much anyone who has had it, asks for me to make it again. The soup itself is wonderful but the garnish is what puts it over the top. The sauted pears play nicely with the blue cheese and the bacon, well…is bacon.

 Roasted Onion and Goronzola Soup

3 TBSP butter
2 large onions, large diced
2 small baking potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tsp garlic, minced
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
4 1/2 oz Gorgonozla, crumbled
salt and pepper to taste
1 TBSP butter
1 TBSP sugar
2 medium pears, peeled, sliced into 1/2 inch wedges
4 oz bacon, fried and crumbled

Melt 3 TBSP of butter over medium heat.
Add onions and garlic, cook until onions are slightly wilted.
Add potatoes, stir to coat with butter. Cook 5 minutes.
Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are soft(about 30 minutes). Allow to cool slightly.
Puree soup in food processor.
Add cream and gently reheat soup.
Stir in cheese and adjust seasoning. If too thick, thin with stock.
Heat 1 TBSP butter over medium high heat.
Add pears and sprinkle with sugar. Saute until slightly caramelized.
Garnish soup with pears and bacon.

To say that my diet is currently out the window is an understatement. I have a feeling it will stay that way until after Thanksgiving, sigh. So since I have not be dieting while sick I thought I would throw caution to the wind and make potato cheese soup that no doubt clogged my arteries by just inhaling it. I also made the rolls(something to do when I am up at 3am coughing) but I will highlight those another day. For now I will just focus on my soup.

I like texture to my soup, so instead of cubing all the potatoes I reserve one cup of potato to be shredded(like if you were making hash browns). I boil those separately and reserve them to add to the soup after it has been pureed. This soup is pretty simple with just the flavors of the potato, onion and cheese coming through. I know some people are not fans of parsley but I like what it adds to the color of the soup, feel free to just ignore it if you want.

Thanks again for all the well wishing. I feel much better, though I fear my cough, like an unwanted relative, will be extending it’s stay.   I braved civilization today on this a rare sunny day in the Seattle area, so I know I am feeling better when I allow the public to see me.

Potato Cheese Soup

7 cups peeled and cubed potatoes
1 cup peeled and shredded potatoes
2 cups peeled and chopped onions
4 cups chopped celery
2 teaspoons salt
4 cups half and half
6 tablespoons butter
1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
1/2 cup asiago cheese
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Place cubed potatoes, onions, celery and salt in water to cover in a large pot. Simmer until tender, about 15 minutes up to an hour depending on how mushy you like things. Place shredded potatoes in a separate pot and boil till tender.

Put in blender or food processor fitted with the metal blade and puree until smooth.

Return to soup pot; add half-and-half, butter. shredded potatoes, parsley and cheese. Stirring, simmer until piping hot. (Do not boil.)

So when we moved to the Seattle area two years ago the first thing my husband asked before moving up here was “what is one thing you want to do in Seattle?” I’m sure he was expecting me to say go to the Space Needle or something like that, but no, I said “I want to go to the Herb Farm.” He said, “sure.” That was until we saw the price and nearly fell over. Phoenix is not the culinary mecca of the world and try as it might it never will be. It isn’t around fresh anything and to make a good restaurant, in my opinion, you need to be around the bounty of the land. Phoenix has no bounty…just dirt. Back when we lived there I had read about the Herb Farm in one of my food magazines, I want to say Food and Wine. I saw the restaurant on the Food Network and read a many articles after that about the amazing experience at the Herb Farm. My husband is never one to go back on his word so we saved up so that we could go. We had nothing to do for Thanksgiving last year and so we decided that is when we would go. Oh what a wonderful experience it was….and well worth the price. Keep in mind you are getting a 9 course meal with wine(or beer…that is what my husband had if you special request it) pairing as well as a goodie bag to go home(on Thanksgiving that is)…plus we ate our weight in these delicious herb popovers. The whole experience takes about 5 hours, so we chose to sit European style(where you sit with a bunch of strangers), since though I love my husband sitting alone with him for 5 hours talking about food would be painful for him.  My hubby and I will be going back to the Herb Farm in a couple of weeks and will give you a full report.

My sister-in-law was kind enough to buy me The Herbal Kictchen, chef Jerry Traunfeld’s second book and I immediately fell in love that I ran out and bought the first book, The Herb Farm Cookbook. Now there is one big thing I don’t like about the cookbook is that the ingredients are somewhat hard to find. Lucky for me I live in Washington about 15 minutes from the Herb Farm so I do have access to farmer’s markets that carry a lot of the herbs. When we get a house someday I do plan on a small herb garden just so I can make these dishes more frequently.

This is my first attempt at something from the cookbook. It was time consuming because you make your own shrimp stock, but well worth it. It’s a wonderful soup and you might find the combination odd but they merry well together.

Pumpkin and Shrimp Bisque

1 pound large shrimp (16 to 20)

Shrimp Stock
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup dry white wine
3 cups homemade or canned low-sodium chicken stock
Pinch saffron threads (about 24)
2 ribs celery, coarsely chopped
1 medium onion (about 8 ounces), coarsely chopped
4 fresh bay laurel leaves, torn, or 2 dried
3 3-inch springs fresh sage

2 cups pumpkin purĩe, fresh (see Note) or canned
1/2 cup heavy cream
About 3/4 teaspoon salt, less if using canned stock
Scant 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage

1. Shrimp stock: Peel and devein shrimp, reserving the shells. Cover the shrimp and refrigerate. Heat the olive oil in a medium (3-quart) heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat until it begins to smoke. Add the shrimp shells to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until they turn deep orange and are just beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. This step¢â¬â€pan roasting the shells¢â¬â€gives the stock much of its flavor, so take the time to do it carefully. The roasted shells should release a concentrated, toasty, shrimp aroma that will fill your kitchen. Add the wine to the pan, first turning off gas flames to prevent the alcohol from igniting, then boil it over medium heat until all the liquid is evaporated. Add the chicken stock, saffron, celery, onion, bay leaves, and sage. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Partially cover the pan and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Strain the stock through a fine sieve, pushing down on the solids with the back of a spoon to extract all the liquid. Rinse out the saucepan and pour the stock back into it.

2. Soup: Whisk the pumpkin, cream, salt (omit if using canned stock), and cayenne into the shrimp stock. Bring the soup to a simmer, then cook very gently uncovered over low heat for 10 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, taste, and season with black pepper and more salt if needed. (The soup can be made up to this point up to 1 day ahead store covered in the refrigerator. Keep the peeled shrimp in a resealable bag buried in a bowl of ice in the refrigerator.)

3. Finishing the soup: Pour the olive oil into a large sautĩ pan placed over medium heat. When hot, add the reserved shrimp and sage and cook, tossing often, until the shrimp is just cooked through, pink, and no longer translucent, but not curled into a circle, 2 to 3 minutes. They should still have a tender snap when you bite into them. Arrange the shrimp in warmed serving bowls or a tureen. Bring the soup back to a simmer and then ladle it over the shrimp. Serve right away.

Note
To make fresh pumpkin purƒ©e, cut a sugar pumpkin in half and scrape out the seeds. Place it cut side down in a baking dish and pour in about 1/4 inch of hot water. Bake it in a 400°F oven until the flesh is tender, 40 to 50 minutes. Turn the pumpkin halves cut side up to cool. Scoop the pumpkin flesh from the skin and purƒ©e it in a food processor until smooth. Transfer the purƒ©e to a large sieve lined with a double layer of cheesecloth and let it drain for 2-3 hours until it is firm enough to hold its shape on a spoon.

Variation

Substitute winter squash purĩe, such as butternut or acorn, for the pumpkin.

Makes 8 servings.

From THE HERBFARM COOKBOOK by Jerry Traunfeld. Copyright ©2000 by Jerry Traunfeld.