After tasting my renditions of each of these soups, I told Paul that I would be sad if I were served these at a party. He defended the soups, and said they'd be fine as long as they were starters served in very small portions.
When I read through the soup recipes they didn't sound like much, but the pictures were cute and at this point I definitely trust Dorie, so I decided to go for it. For the first time in a long time I had all four burners of my stove going while I made the three different soups and potato salad. I noticed that the recipe was exactly the same as a soup recommended on one of the diets I sometimes do. (I'm the world's worst dieter, I never make it more than a few days, but even as diet foods go the soup is not one of my favorites.) I was hoping that the addition of whipped cream, one of my favorite foods. would significantly improve the soup. I'm no stranger to savory whipped cream--Paul's brother, Scott, makes a really good horseradish version--and definitely thought it added an interesting touch, but I just didn't think it was enough to elevate the rather blah soup.
I served the soup with potato salad and Country Bread. To go with the bread, I set up an olive oil tasting with three of our olive oils. Paul and I both preferred the more expensive oils (we're too predictable that way), and enjoyed tasting them with and without the bread. We were a little bit disturbed to count the number of olive oils we happen to have in the house. De-cluttering is one of my goals for the new year, and I think our pantry will be a good place to start. Since another one of my new year's goals is to lose weight (when isn't weight loss one of my goals?), I've been eating the leftover soups (sans whipped cream) as part of my lunches, and have actually been sort of enjoying them. I think they're better as side dishes, when you aren't expecting much other than an okay tasting way to eat some vegetables.
First let me say that a savory whipped cream with horseradish sounds absolutely
ReplyDeletefantastic. As for the soups, I'm sorry you did not enjoy them. I liked them
better chilled the next day, I think they had more flavor. Have a wonderful
weekend.
I love that you paired the soups with an olive oil tasting!!! Brilliant.
ReplyDeleteHorseradish whipped cream? Yes, please.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the decluttering - I finally whittled my way down to two types of olive oil. I felt like a rock star :-) We won't talk about the grain/ rice situation...
Nice idea! Yes, I'd probably only serve them as starters.
ReplyDeleteA little drizzle of that olive oil in the soup would bring up the flavor… sorry it wasn't a winner for you.
ReplyDeleteI see how these soups could become a light and dinner option. They definitely get better after a day in the fridge.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your resolutions!
Not a winner for me. And I had to chuckle as I would have been sad to be served these too!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely felt the soups were a little on the bland side - not something I would want to serve at a party either! It is a good way to get veggies into a meal, but it would be kind of sad to have them as a single course.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the declutering project. I just cleaned out my pantry before Thanksgiving and threw away all of the past due items. It was pretty depressing really.
ReplyDeleteThat horseradish whipped cream sounds amazing. Sorry you didn't love these soups. I wasn't expecting much because of the few ingredients in them and it being winter when the veggies aren't at their best. I really liked them. I did make them a little thicker than Dorie, though. I did one round in shot glasses and thought they were really cute (like Dorie's picture). I wish you luck on the decluttering. I'm in a losing battle with my clutter. Oh, well. I'm trying to make a dent and at the same time to not let lack of progress get to me.
ReplyDeleteYa, this should have had been "Dieter's Soups" instead of "Party". I'm hoping more whipped cream will help me switch gears when I approach my leftovers.
ReplyDeleteHave a great w/e!
I love the idea of olive oil tasting! You are spot on about the soups being suitable for diet I will be eating the as part of my diet for the next couple of days!
ReplyDeleteHorseradish whipped cream sounds intriguing. I can definitely see these being "diet" soups - the calorie count has to be scant. I made the soups on Sunday and we had them for lunch the following week, which we enjoyed since we were trying to cut back from all the indulgent food we had over the holidays.
ReplyDeleteDecluttering is a goal for me, too. We have far too much stuff for two people. A friend of mine is moving and her ruthlessness is inspiring me to tackle our storage spaces.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't thrilled with these soups, either. On to more flavour-packed recipes!
Country bread sounds like a winning combination for these! These are really perfect diet soups too. Sounds like we have similar goals for the year- loose weight and declutter! Good luck! I hope we succeed!
ReplyDeleteI am not sure where I have been but I don't recall ever having a savory whipped cream (not that I need to go looking for more whipped cream opportunities....). I was surprised that Dorie had us add it but of course was an instant convert. But horseradish whipped cream ? Yes please. And so funny (but not shocked) to hear this soup made it to a diet list. Glad you had a fun olive oil tasting. I need to do the same and get some balsamics out there too. My pantry is getting out of control :)
ReplyDeleteOooo, yummy!
ReplyDeleteFirst and foremost, would Paul's brother, Scott, share his horseradish recipe for savory whipped cream. That would "save" what has been a rather disappointing week, recipe-wise. Maybe, Jora, the reason your diets don't last long is that you are eating these rather bland soups!!! I always need to watch my weight and am spending time with Deborah Madison's two veggie cookbooks this winter. Since I'm, on the Calli coast, I hope to buy more fresh fish. Veggies and fish?!? I also think these soups would not be good in large portions. You're right. On to moules....
ReplyDelete