A Chilled Soup Of Goat Cheese And Beets Recipes

A CHILLED SOUP OF GOAT CHEESE AND BEETS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Cut the leaves from the beets (cook them later, treating them as you might spinach) and scrub the beets well. Put them in a roasting pan with a tablespoon of oil and three of water and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Roast for forty-five minutes to an hour, until dark and almost tender.
• Warm the second tablespoon of oil in a shallow pan. Chop the green onions and let them soften for five minutes or so in the oil. Set aside.
• Peel the beets and chop the flesh coarsely. Put them in the pan with the onions, pour over the stock, and bring to a boil. Simmer for seven or eight minutes, cool slightly, then purée in a blender until smooth. Check the seasoning. It will need salt and black pepper. Pour into a pitcher and chill in the refrigerator.
• To make the cream, remove the skin from the goat cheese and mash the flesh with a fork. Stir in the yogurt and chopped herbs. Serve the soup when it is thoroughly chilled, adding spoonfuls of the herb cream at the table.

CHILLED ASPARAGUS SOUP WITH GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Coat a large saucepan with olive oil. Add the onion, celery and garlic and bring to a medium heat. Season with salt and sweat until the vegetables are very soft and aromatic, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Remove the tips from the asparagus and reserve. Cut the stalks of the asparagus into 1-inch lengths and add them to the pot. Sweat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the potatoes and the stock. Taste for seasoning and add salt, if needed (it will). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
• On a separate burner, bring a small pot of well salted water to a boil over high heat. Have a small bowl of well salted ice water on standby. Cook the asparagus tips in the boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove them from the boiling water and plunge them immediately into the ice water. When the tips are cool, remove them from the water, pat dry and reserve.
• In a blender or with an immersion blender, puree the asparagus stock mixture. Strain through a mesh strainer, if desired. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed. Chill.
• Garnish with the reserved asparagus tips and crumbled goat cheese. Springtime delicious!