Chilled Avocado Cucumber Soup

I make no apologies for my love of chilled soups. On a warm day, they are so refreshing and flavorful. The coldness just adds a certain level of freshness that you find less often in warm soups. Over the years I've experimented with many Gazpacho recipes (my current favorite is Ina Garten's because she keeps all the vegetables pretty coarse, giving the final product a lot of texture). A couple weeks ago when Dora and I went to Paris together, we managed to have chilled soups several times in only a couple days. First it was the gazpacho at the Bar a Soupes, one of my favorite places in Paris because I love soup so much. Another day, in the nearby Pause Café, we had the daily special: cucumber gazpacho. It was so amazing and delicious, not only because it was cold but also because cucumber is such a particularly refreshing vegetable (Side note: is it true that it's a fruit if it has seeds?).

For a while now I've been bookmarking different chilled soup recipes to try out and last night Dora and I tried this one from 5 Star Foodie. It was phenomenal. Literally, we both went for seconds and probably would have gone for thirds if there wasn't limited quantity. The avocado and the creme fraiche added an amazing creaminess to the soup, but it was still very light considering the bulk of it was chicken broth and vegetables. I definitely will be making it again and I'd like to do some experimenting with the proportions of avocado to cucumber too. I didn't use the serrano peppers or cayenne because I didn't feel like spiciness, but I'd absolutely like to try it with them.

Chilled Avocado Cucumber Soup
from 5 Star Foodie
makes 4 cups

2 avocados, sliced
1 cucumber, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons green onions, chopped
2 small serrano peppers, chopped
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
Salt, black pepper to taste
Generous pinch of cayenne pepper

Place avocados, cucumbers, cilantro, green onions, Serrano peppers, lime juice, sour cream and stock in a blender. Season with salt and pepper. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes. Pour into individual bowls and swirl a generous pinch of cayenne.