Chilled Avocado Soup Topped With Herby Sour Cream

Herby Sour Cream:

Blend sour cream and blue cheese well together in a small bowl. Add onion salt, fresh herbs, chives and arugula, mixing well with spatula for a smooth, herby consistency. Cover and refrigerate one hour before using with soup.

Chilled Avocado Soup:

In a blender, make one-half the recipe at a time – puree 2 avocados, 1 can chicken broth, 1/3 whole milk or cream, 2 Tbsp. herby sour cream dip, 1 chopped shallot and 1 Tbsp. sun-dried tomato oil until mixture is smooth and green of avocados dominates soup consistency. Repeat to make a second batch. Season each batch to taste with salt and pepper before transferring to covered storage container to chill in refrigerator for at least one hour before serving.

When ready to eat, ladle soup into bowls – makes six servings. Top each bowl with a dollop of herby sour cream, garnish with chives, serve immediately.

Chef's Note & Story

I've made various variations of chilled avocado soup, and my favorite recipe uses 2 Tbsps. of dry Sherry. As a recently pregnant lady who recently decided to make this soup, I needed to find a substitute for the Sherry that would blend well with the soup. I like adding the oil from large jars of sun-dried tomatoes to recipes, and I was able to extract 2 Tbsps. of it that turned out to be a great, taste-enriching substitute for the Sherry in this recipe. I'd also recently "invented" my Herby Sour Cream as a dip using blue cheese, sour cream and backyard herbs. The sour cream mixture had a lot of fresh herb flavor to it, and I decided it belonged both in and on top of the soup!