cool corn chowder...

When it's hot outside, there's nothing like cold soup!  Perhaps what first comes to mind for most people is gazpacho, that great cold tomato soup with all of those other fresh vegetables and some chopped jalapeño for a bit of bite.  But there are other cold soups for hot summer days.  A neighbor down the street, Mary Jane Warfel, makes a fabulous watermelon (yes, watermelon!) soup.  I also have a recipe for a cold avocado soup that is delicious.  All three of these cold soups would make an excellent choice for an al fresco summer menu.

When it's hot outside at HIH II, I like to make a cool corn chowder because I also happen to like a warm corn chowder when it's cold outside!  If I'm going to serve the cool corn chowder for dinner, I begin making the soup immediately following lunch.  The recipe I use is a pretty standard chowder recipe, with one caveat: use fresh white corn from the local farm.

This is a fun recipe not only because it requires using the corn cobs when making the soup (believe it or not, they add corn milk) but also because the lemon and lemon zest add a dimension of flavor that's not normally associated with a corn chowder.  Below, I've topped the cool corn chowder with shaved carrots and diced grape tomatoes.
 

Hopefully, guests will love the cool corn chowder, but make sure you save some for lunch the next day!  Accompanied by an insalada caprese and glass of Zinfandel, the cool corn chowder makes for a hearty and substantial outdoor lunch.
 

Like the idea?  Here's the recipe:

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