I knew I wanted to make a chilled soup for our dinner party last weekend because it’s been so darn hot (not complaining) and I knew I wanted something a little unexpected than the traditional vichyçoisse, cucumber, avocado or even gazpachio — although all worthy soups in their own right. On top of it all Barb had posted a lovely asparagus soup recipe with a herb crusted goats cheese ball that really intrigued me. What to do, what to do? Off to the internet I went to find an unusual cold soup; my first stop was Epicurious and as luck would have it, there on the summertime meal feature page on my iPhone was a roasted red pepper and tomato soup. Call it kismet, serendipity or fate, this soup and I were meant to be.
The soup is a lovely balance of sweet red peppers and the acidity and sweetness of oven roasted tomatoes (or, in our case, BBQ roasted). There is a little raw green onion and a smidgen of garlic with a delightful earthy undertone of coriander. I also wanted to incorporate Barb’s goats cheese balls but I wanted a little contrast, so I rolled the goats cheese balls in sesame seeds and lightly fried them to brown the sesame seeds but more importantly, to heat up the goats cheese ball. Yup, I did the ole’ switcheroo and made the soup cold and the balls warm. It was a lovely contrast. JTs only comment was that there could have been more soup.
Chilled Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
with Warm Sesame Crusted Goats Cheese Balls
Recipe adapted from Epicurious
Ingredients:
Serves 8 small bowls (125mL or 1/2 cup) or 4 large dinner sized bowls (250mL or 1 cup)
- 4 red bell peppers, roasted on the BBQ (or oven), seeded and skinned
- 3 medium plum tomatoes, cut into 1 cm thick slices and roasted on the BBQ
- 1/4 red chili pepper, roasted on the BBQ (or oven), seeded and skinned
- 1 green onion
- 1 small garlic clove, finely minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- water to achieve desired thickness
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar (check for sweetness, and omit if the soup is sweet enough)
Goats Cheese balls ingredients:
- 10 g (about 1 1/2 tsps) goats cheese per ball (I did one per serving)
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds per ball
- non-stick cooking spray
Directions:
- Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and blitz with the immersion blender until smooth, adding water until the desired consistency is achieved. You can use chicken stock or vegetable stock, but it’s not necessary as there is a already a plethora of flavours going on.
- Strain soup through a fine sieve. Don’t skip this step as it does ensure a very velvety soup without the addition of cream or butter. Refrigerate until serving. (the soup actually gets better if made one day and served the next).
- Roll the goats cheese into nice round balls and coat evenly with the sesame seeds (I used black and white). Heat a cast iron pan, spray with non-stick spray and gently fry the balls at medium temperature — you want to brown the sesame seeds and heat the ball through, you don’t want to melt the ball. Brown all sides evenly.
- To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and carefully place one (or more) balls onto the soup. My soup was thick enough that the balls did not sink. Serve immediately.
[…] Chilled Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup with Warm Sesame Crusted Goats Cheese Balls […]
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This makes me want to go again!!!!! I’m so glad you enjoyed your dinner. It truly is an amazing experience to have an entire kitchen cook just for you. Nicely done Eva! (We’re off to Edmonton tomorrow….so I’ll be out of touch for a bit. It was a killer week at work — I spent every evening working, so I’ve been out of touch with all the blogs I follow.)
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Hey Barb! Have fun next week, glad the trip finally got booked.
Yes indeed it was a lot of fun; makes me want to celebrate again!
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You beauty! The hot/cold combo and the flavors send me swooning. 🙂
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How flattering, thank you kindly Maureen!
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I love the idea of a cold soup and warm cheese ..really interesting
I just love your attention to details and how much thought you put into your dishes Eva 🙂
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Thank you kindly Sawsan, I am very flattered with your kind words.
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Cold soup, hot cheese. I love this idea Eva! And the combination of sweet and spicy…always a hit with me.
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Thanks Kristy.
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Ooh, I love roasted red pepper soup and you’re right, the warmth of the goat cheese would be unexpected and deliciously inviting! This looks wonderful Eva. It’s funny, I never bother seeding peppers (other than jalapeno ;-)).
Thanks for the link love Eva!
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It just makes the peeling process a little tidier…I usually have the entire kitchen swimming in the blackened skin anyway, the seeds are a lot more difficult to clean up!
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love the last shot with the cheese ball in the center! Just simply divine
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Thanks Jessica.
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What a refreshing sounding soup, and I love goat cheese on just about anything! So I remember reading Barb’s post, and I’m wondering, how did YOU get your goat cheese ball to stand up so nicely atop your soup?
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Hi Betsy, I actually rested it on a very tiny cup overturned, but the soup was actually thick enough so that when I served it, the ball did not sink!
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Love those little goat’s cheese sesame balls to go with this cooling soup.
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Thanks BFN. I hope your weather in the UK has turned around, I heard it was very ugly and rainy. Hope your foot is healing.
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I love the touch with the warm goat’s cheese ball Eva! And thank you so much for the shoutout!! 😀 x
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Thank you Lorraine, it was entirely my pleasure.
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You can always count on Epicurious to give you an idea for a dish, at the very least. I love the thought that went into this dish, Eva, the hot and cold elements. It would be perfect for a dinner party on a hot Summer’s night. Best of all, you can make it ahead and and have one less thing to prepare with guests in the next room. Love the serving bowls, too! 🙂
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Thanks John, the bowls are from my MIL, they are just plain light green glass with an Egyptian motif engraved on them. I love them for their simplicity; I wish I had the under plates to go with them.
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What a great soup for a hot and humid night. That’s a great way to start a dinner party. I I’ve made a chilled capsicum and tomato soup before. Instead of a goat’s cheese ball in the centre it had finely chopped ham and a few herbs I think (I made it a long time ago). Looks lovely Eva xx
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Yes, that’s another great idea Charlie, with the chopped ham. I’ve done it with crispy prosciutto before (on a chilled melon soup) but I love the chopped ham and herbs. Thank you.
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You know what drives me nuts? Trying to de-seed peppers once they’ve been roasted. They seem all slick and stick to anything in side… makes me mad. Worth the effort though. Roasted peppers are so good… I never tried them in a soup – great alternative to something like gazpacho and looks lovely and cool!
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Sometimes I cut the seeds and the veins out BEFORE I roast the peppers. It also makes it easier to have access to all of the ‘sides’ so I can easily take the peel off. I loved the soup so much, I am serving it again tonight for a mid-week dinner party!
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Hrm… now why on earth have I never thought of that before? De-seeding BEFORE roasting? Damn… I’m totally stealing that idea! 😀
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Make ahead recipes are so great in the summer. Keeps the guests from getting too hot. What a great soup and those cheese balls really make it extra special.
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Thanks Greg, I liked this soup so much, I am serving it again for a mid-week dinner party tonight.
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What a gorgeous presentation, Eva! And both components alone sound wonderful, but together are elegant and impressive!
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Thank you kindly Liz.
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Ok, the name just makes me giggle. 🙂 Sounds very tasty too.
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Yes, me too Maria. When I read it on Barb’s site (Profiteroles and Ponytails) I thought it was too funny to pass up.
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Yum! Your soup looks fantastic Eva! I love that the soup is cold but the cheese ball is warm (I also like that it’s made from goat cheese!).
I’ve tried gazpacho a few times but haven’t been able to get used to the idea of a cold soup… but the little bit of warmth from the cheese ball might be enough to change my mind on this one.
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Thanks Amber. A cold soup is really quite refreshing on such a hot day. I have several posts on my blog:
You may enjoy the cherry soup, or even the melon and prosciutto, which are very refreshing.
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This soup looks incredible my friend – I love the ingredients and idea of a cold soup 🙂
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
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Thanks CCU.
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What a wonderful idea for a hot summer evening! I still remember Barb’s soup with the goat cheese balls. I love your idea to warm the balls and make the sesame crunchy. Sesame is one of the things I am addicted to, goat cheese is a staple, so I think I would love even the balls served on their own.
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Thank you Sissi, the warm cheese balls were a nice contrast to the cold soup.
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This looks delicious!!
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I wish I could have this for the dinner! Looks really refreshing and delicious served with goat cheese balls!
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It was quite tasty Angie, thanks
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For me, this soup will serve 4 the most, 3 would be better. Love the fact that it is better made the day before.
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Hi Norma, you can serve 3 you will just have slightly larger portions.
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