Full credit goes to Melissa Clark (New York Times) - Serves 4
This chilled soup will delight your diners on a hot summer day. The flavor pallet is quite intriguing and may need some personal tweaking to suit your tastes. Experiment and enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 1 lb cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise and seeded
- 2 cups buttermilk (or use 1½ cups plain yogurt plus ¼ cup water)
- 1 large clove garlic - smash minced
- 2 anchovy fillets (optional - leave out for vegetarian)
- 2 small whole scallions - trimmed
- ½ jalapeño - seeded, deveined and chopped
- ½ cup packed mixed fresh herbs (like mint, parsley, dill, tarragon, basil and cilantro)
- ½ tsp sherry or white wine vinegar - more to taste
- ¾ tsp kosher sea salt - plus more to taste
- 4 slices baguette or other bread - toasted
- 1 avocado - pitted, peeled and thinly sliced
- ½ lemon
- 2 tbsp crumbled feta cheese
- Extra-virgin olive oil - for serving
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ear of corn - shucked, kernels sliced off
- Fresh dill for serving
Preparation:
In the bowl of a blender or food processor, combine cucumber, buttermilk, garlic, anchovy, scallions, jalapeño, fresh herbs, sherry vinegar and salt. Blend until smooth and adjust seasoning as needed.
Smash avocado slices and spread on the toasted bread. Sprinkle with crumbled feta, squeeze the juice of the lemon half over the top and finish each with a drizzle of olive oil and some pepper. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Distribute soup between 4 bowls and garnish with raw corn kernels and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Serve avocado toast on the side.
Blessed be... and happy cooking!