I am not a fan of gazpacho. The mere mention of the word makes me cringe, conjuring up images of canned tomato juice, which I hold in equal disdain. Like “Jon” “Kate” or “toilet” “food”, “cold” and “soup” are two words that just don’t belong together. And so, I’ve lived for the past thirty two years, happily avoiding these chilled summertime soups.
Every now and then, I get a quirky urge to push my boundaries and see if my tastes have changed, but the incongruity of what essentially amounts to a savoury smoothie, always keeps me from proceeding past the first few sips. A couple weeks ago, I had one of those moments when I felt particularly adventurous and decided to wander outside my comfort zone while trying out a restaurant.
Rouge Tomate sports a fiercely trendy decor and a menu that reads like a collaboration between a hippie and a nutritionist. None of these observations boded particularly well for the food, but the restaurant came well recommended, and given the discounted Restaurant Week menu, I figured I didn’t have much to lose. I started off the meal with a cold corn and fava bean soup, which after one reluctant spoonful, forever changed my opinion of cold soups. Refreshing, nuanced and perfectly balanced, it tasted of sunshine, and corn so fresh that it made me wonder if they had a field of corn tucked away in the labyrinthine depths of the kitchen. Any meal that puts a smile on my face is a good one, any meal that changes the way I think about food is one I’ll never forget.
What’s a dish or ingredient that you used to hate that you now love?
So today as I meandered through the stalls at the Union Square Greenmarket in the heat of August, a pile of corn so fresh it looked like it was still growing, and a bunch of four golden beets with greens still attached whispered an idea into my ear… Chilled Corn Soup with Roasted Beets and Green Shiso Infused Oil…
And so it happened, I went from being a cold soup hater to someone who fantasizes about chilled cucumber consommé with creme fraiche and ikura or a cold bouillabaisse with raw shellfish and an albacore ceviche. Oh… the possibilities!
This particular chilled soup turned out to be delicious. It’s creamy without being heavy, light while still filling, and the way the low temperature highlights the freshness and flavour of the ingredients is sublime. Each sip is full of umami from the glutamate rich corn, pleasantly sweet from the beets, and the shiso infused oil adds a crisp green edge that gives it an almost mint-like cleanness. Make a meal of it with a piece of bread, or serve it as a palette reviving amuse bouche in a shot glass.
Ingredients
- 2 golden beets medium
- 2 corn ears
- 1 Tsp shallot minced
- 1 cup soy milk
- 1 cup chicken vegetable broth low sodium or
- 3 shiso green leaves (or other herbs such as thyme, mint, or cilantro)
- to taste salt (I used about 2 tsp kosher )
- 4 shiso green leaves minced
- 2 olive oil olive oil
Steps
- Wash the beets thoroughly, trimming any stems or roots off the top and bottom. Wrap tightly in foil and put on a baking sheet in the oven. Turn the oven on to 350 degrees F and roast for about 1 hour, or until the beets are tender. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool. Use a sharp paring knife to peel away the beet skin then cut them into small pieces.
- Use a sharp knife or corn stripper to remove the kernels from the corn. Use the back side of a knife to scrape off every bit of corn and milk from the cob. Put the corn and pulp into a small saucepan and add the shallot, soy milk and stock. Cook for about 20 minutes at a bare simmer. Let it cool down to room temperature.
- Add the cooled beets and corn to a blender then add the shiso leaves. Be careful not to overload your blender or the top may fly off. If you're worried, just blend the soup in 2 batches. Blend on high for about 5 minutes or until the soup is smooth and frothy. Taste it and add salt as needed. Pour the soup through a sieve into a container with a lid and refrigerate until cold (preferably overnight).
- To make the shiso oil, just put the minced shiso in a mortar with the oil and pulverize with the pestle. Strain the oil through a fine mesh tea strainer then set aside.
- To serve, ladle the soup into the bowls, whisk the oil to recombine and put a few large drops in the middle of the soup.
I can imagine this tasting quite refreshing in the heat you are in, still Summer time ? That second shot looks amazing, so pure.
I admit to “having issues” with cold soups in the past, and only recently discovered their cooling benefits in the summer. The corn and beet seem to marry well Marc…a great combination.
i dont know if i could do cold soups. they just don’t seem to fit right together. i think i’d feel i was drinking a savoury smoothie. BUT, this looks so good I might just have to make it, suck it up and have a taste! 🙂
I have never had a cold soup before. Not something that has been top of my list. But it is funny how you can go into something expecting you won’t like it, and then you do. That’s happened to me a few times. I never really liked vegetables too much in the past – as most kids don’t. But now, I get really urges for things like Dutch carrots or Brussels sprouts. Strange really……
I can imagine this tasting quite refreshing in the heat you are in, still Summer time ? That second shot looks amazing, so pure.
I admit to “having issues” with cold soups in the past, and only recently discovered their cooling benefits in the summer. The corn and beet seem to marry well Marc…a great combination.
i dont know if i could do cold soups. they just don’t seem to fit right together. i think i’d feel i was drinking a savoury smoothie. BUT, this looks so good I might just have to make it, suck it up and have a taste! 🙂
I have never had a cold soup before. Not something that has been top of my list. But it is funny how you can go into something expecting you won’t like it, and then you do. That’s happened to me a few times. I never really liked vegetables too much in the past – as most kids don’t. But now, I get really urges for things like Dutch carrots or Brussels sprouts. Strange really……
I’m glad I’m not the only one that has trouble with gazpacho. Sometimes I get an extreme craving for it in the summer and it’s all I can think about, but after making a big batch and having a bowl, that’s it. I don’t want anymore.
I love beets and corn together. I have a feeling this is going to be in the back of my mind until I give it a try.
Save for the shiso, everything for this is in my home just now. I guess that means I must make it – the fates tell me so.
I am not much of a fan of gazpacho either, to me eating it is like eating a bowl of salsa with a spoon. I have had some other great cool soups though, that I really liked. I had a really nice chilled pea soup at Bouchon a few years ago and then a great chilled khorabi soup at the Stone Barns cafe the other day. An ingredient that I used to hate would be cilantro. When I was a kid, I was a big fan of Graham Kerr’s show about healthy cooking and he used to use a lot… Read more »
The combination of corn and golden beets sounds amazing! My husband dislikes cold soups but perhaps this delicious one will convert him. I will give it a try 🙂
I’m glad I’m not the only one that has trouble with gazpacho. Sometimes I get an extreme craving for it in the summer and it’s all I can think about, but after making a big batch and having a bowl, that’s it. I don’t want anymore.
I love beets and corn together. I have a feeling this is going to be in the back of my mind until I give it a try.
I was going to try Suzanne Goin’s yellow gazpacho, but you made me think again about a cold soup. I never liked them either, it’s really not “soup”.
I think I will make a Jon and Kate Soup, and we can use toilet water as the base!
I miss you this summer!
Mrs. Fazool
Save for the shiso, everything for this is in my home just now. I guess that means I must make it – the fates tell me so.
I am not much of a fan of gazpacho either, to me eating it is like eating a bowl of salsa with a spoon. I have had some other great cool soups though, that I really liked. I had a really nice chilled pea soup at Bouchon a few years ago and then a great chilled khorabi soup at the Stone Barns cafe the other day. An ingredient that I used to hate would be cilantro. When I was a kid, I was a big fan of Graham Kerr’s show about healthy cooking and he used to use a lot… Read more »
I adore the colour contrast Marc! I’ve never combined beetroot and corn in a soup – I can hardly imagine the taste – although I know it would be good 🙂
This looks great. I think I might try it for an upcoming dinner I’m hosting. thanks
The combination of corn and golden beets sounds amazing! My husband dislikes cold soups but perhaps this delicious one will convert him. I will give it a try 🙂
I’m a recent convert to cold soups myself. This one sounds fantastic, and the flavors would be great chilled!
i guess you just have to find the right combination of flavours that suits ur taste. Not a big fan of cold soups, but I really enjoyed the chilled cucumber-mint soup I had in Prague!
I was going to try Suzanne Goin’s yellow gazpacho, but you made me think again about a cold soup. I never liked them either, it’s really not “soup”.
I think I will make a Jon and Kate Soup, and we can use toilet water as the base!
I miss you this summer!
Mrs. Fazool
Looks good! I love gazpacho though… cold soups make me happy!
Your soup looks amazing. Corn is in season, I am gonna try to make it!
Thanks
You’re funny with your analogy with Jon & Kate lol Nonetheless, the chilled soup loos amazingly delicious
I adore the colour contrast Marc! I’ve never combined beetroot and corn in a soup – I can hardly imagine the taste – although I know it would be good 🙂
This looks great. I think I might try it for an upcoming dinner I’m hosting. thanks
I’m a recent convert to cold soups myself. This one sounds fantastic, and the flavors would be great chilled!
i guess you just have to find the right combination of flavours that suits ur taste. Not a big fan of cold soups, but I really enjoyed the chilled cucumber-mint soup I had in Prague!
You didn’t like gazpacho before? Holy moly! Who would have thunk, especially when you live in NY where it gets so hot and humid that a cool, refreshing soup like that would really hit the spot. Glad you’re having a change of heart. 😉
The food I had a change of heart about? Oysters. I used to hate them, no matter if they were raw, fried, bbq-d, what have you. I just didn’t like the texture. That is, until I hit my late 20s. Somehow, my taste for them changed. Now, I can’t get enough of them. Yum!
Looks good! I love gazpacho though… cold soups make me happy!
Your soup looks amazing. Corn is in season, I am gonna try to make it!
Thanks
You’re funny with your analogy with Jon & Kate lol Nonetheless, the chilled soup loos amazingly delicious
I have never seen that combo before. That surely looks really good.
Yeah, as a Filipino we’re pretty suspicious of cold food 🙂 But I would gladly accept a bowlful of this! I love the sound of that cucumber consomme and ikura!
I don’t think I was a super-fastidious child, so I’m finding it difficult to think of food I used to hate… olives maybe?
Sounds delicious. I am usually suspicious of cold soups except for a cucumber yoghurt one my dad makes, but this looks so delectable. I love fresh corn.
You didn’t like gazpacho before? Holy moly! Who would have thunk, especially when you live in NY where it gets so hot and humid that a cool, refreshing soup like that would really hit the spot. Glad you’re having a change of heart. 😉
The food I had a change of heart about? Oysters. I used to hate them, no matter if they were raw, fried, bbq-d, what have you. I just didn’t like the texture. That is, until I hit my late 20s. Somehow, my taste for them changed. Now, I can’t get enough of them. Yum!
i am still a cold soup hater. except for salmorejo (a thicker version of gazpacho) because it is an excuse to eat Spanish ham and good olive oil.
I refuse to convert. sorry.
Ooh, golden beets. Have never seen them – are they milder/sweeter than the regular kind? Also, am intrigued that you used soymilk in the soup – might have to try that myself! I wonder how it would go in a hot soup though…finally love that you spelled it “golden beat” soup, hee 😀
I have never seen that combo before. That surely looks really good.
Yeah, as a Filipino we’re pretty suspicious of cold food 🙂 But I would gladly accept a bowlful of this! I love the sound of that cucumber consomme and ikura!
I don’t think I was a super-fastidious child, so I’m finding it difficult to think of food I used to hate… olives maybe?
Sounds delicious. I am usually suspicious of cold soups except for a cucumber yoghurt one my dad makes, but this looks so delectable. I love fresh corn.
i am still a cold soup hater. except for salmorejo (a thicker version of gazpacho) because it is an excuse to eat Spanish ham and good olive oil.
I refuse to convert. sorry.
Shiso oil love hearts?? Man, this soup was made for me. You incidentally remind me that I left Magicland leaving a golden beet in the veggie drawer of the fridge. I guess it’s still there. RIP little golden beet.
Ooh, golden beets. Have never seen them – are they milder/sweeter than the regular kind? Also, am intrigued that you used soymilk in the soup – might have to try that myself! I wonder how it would go in a hot soup though…finally love that you spelled it “golden beat” soup, hee 😀
I am glad you changed your mind about cold soups! I used to dislike olives, but I have grown to love their unique salty flavor.
Marc, this soup looks creamy and delicious. What a great way to take advantage of all of the summer corn.
Shiso oil love hearts?? Man, this soup was made for me. You incidentally remind me that I left Magicland leaving a golden beet in the veggie drawer of the fridge. I guess it’s still there. RIP little golden beet.
I am glad you changed your mind about cold soups! I used to dislike olives, but I have grown to love their unique salty flavor.
Marc, this soup looks creamy and delicious. What a great way to take advantage of all of the summer corn.