I am not one to jinx our great weather, but we have had several hot days in a row – it actually hit 82 degrees today, so time to bring out the cold soups.   I made Vichyssoise a few weeks ago, but you spend a bit of time over a hot stove cooking the potatoes, while this soup is strictly prepping vegetables and some blending.  And no cooking translates into no heat in the kitchen – one of my favorite ways to cook on a hot summer day.  Put away your timer as this recipe will only take 15 minutes to prepare.  Add 2 hours to get the soup chilled and you are ready to relax with a refreshing bowl of Chilled Cucumber Soup.

Ingredients:

2 English cucumbers (seedless, and no wax on skin)

1 medium avocado

3 cups heavy cream

2 Tsp fresh dill

1 clove garlic

6 Tsp sour cream (one dollop per serving)

6 long stem chives (cut each in half – use two chives per serving)

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Peel and grate the cucumbers into a bowl (I use a box grater for this step).

2. Peel and dice avocado and add to cucumber.

3. Peel and finely chop garlic clove, add heavy cream, and chopped fresh dill to the above mixture.

4.  Ladle the soup into a blender and puree until smooth.   I do two rounds of blending.

5. Refrigerate for two hours.

5.  Pour into a cup or small bowl, and add a dollop of sour cream and two slivers of chives.

Quick, easy, refreshing!

Yield: 6 servings