Cold Carrot Ginger Soup (Cappuccino De Carottes)

Cold soup in shot glasses can be served as a wonderfully refreshing summer appetizer or first course. Ginger is always very refreshing, so I use it often in summer dishes. Today, I made a cold carrot soup flavored with fresh ginger. I think the bright orange color is very representative of the season, especially enhanced by a touch a saffron.  

The carrots are cooked until softened, blended with a little cream until smooth, then chilled. I served the cold soup in individual glasses, which is an elegant start to any meal. To finish the dish, I garnished the soup with cumin-flavored whipped cream and a piece of candied ginger as a reminder of the flavoring inside.

Shrimp Wonton Soup Recipe

Shrimp wonton soup is a delicious soup made with dumplings and chicken broth. It's perfect for soothing your throat. I served the Asian shrimp wontons along with broccoli florets to keep the dish very simple. If you want to serve this soup as a main course, you could add egg noodles along with other greens such as bok choy.

We're finally back from Texas where we spent our spring break and everyone except me is starting to get sick. I made this soup for the meat eaters in the house, but a vegetarian wonton soup is just as easy to prepare.

Canh Khoai Mo Recipe (Vietnamese Yam and Shrimp Soup)

Khoai mỡ is an exotic yam that originates from Asia. The root vegetable has a rough, charcoal-colored skin with a creamy flesh. It's grated and cooked until soften. The texture is unique once it's cooked. It's resembles pork fat, hence the word "mỡ", which means "fat" ("khoai" means "potato"). Like many other Buddhist vegetarian dishes, this ingredient is used to imitate meat. However, this time I served it with shrimp balls and taro pieces ("khoai cao") in a soup.

This vegetable was not available in France, so I didn't have it as a child. I first tasted it in a temple in Saigon. It’s very versatile, and can be served either as a dessert or in a "canh" ("soup" in Vietnamese). Khoai mỡ is one of those ingredients that are quite expensive in America but cost almost nothing in Saigon. In Vietnam, this type of root vegetable are planted in great abundance but here, in the US, canh khoai mỡ is more a nostalgic dish that takes you down memory lane if you grew up in Vietnam.

Ash Reshteh Soup Recipe (Persian Soup)

Ash reshteh is one of my husband Lulu's favorite soups. Lulu is a vegetarian, and this Persian noodle soup totally fits the bill. The combination of egg noodles (called "reshteh") and various beans and lentils makes a well-balanced meal for a vegetarian diet. I think the key to making this dish flavorful is the addition of crispy, caramelized onions, which give an amazing fragrance to the soup. The saffron and mint yogurt sauce also contributes a fair share of creaminess and complexity to the dish as well.

If you are a meat eater, you can add beef or lamb to the soup. I have had it with and without meat, and it tastes wonderful either way.

Duck Noodle Soup Recipe

Roasted duck soup combines succulent roast duck with an incredibly flavorful broth. I cook the roasted duck remnants with beef bones and let them simmer for hours until the broth is sweet and delicious. I then complete the soup phở-style. By that, I mean, egg noodles are quickly boiled, then covered with the broth. The soup is finished with pieces of roasted duck, steamed bok choy and bean sprouts for extra crunch.

To me, the key to making great soup is to focus on the broth. It takes a lot of patience to get the flavor of the broth just right, but I think it's so worth it.