We all have some sort of food memory that we associate with summer. I have a seasonal fondness for Bomb Pop popsicles and potato salad, but my husband Todd would always talk about this chilled strawberry soup that he used to eat in the summer and how much he missed it. Since the soup was at a restaurant and not something he had a recipe for, he’s never known exactly how to make it. But it sounded so delicious I thought I would take up the task of recreating a bite of his childhood. I thought it would be fun to put a basil twist on the flavors and Emma suggested adding some angel food cake croutons. I mean, the croutons are genius, right?!?
Chilled Strawberry Basil Soup, serves 2.
2 cups frozen strawberries
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup half and half
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon basil extract
(or chopped basil leaves to taste)
sugar to taste
Take all your ingredients except for the sugar and basil extract and blend them until smooth in a blender.
Add in your sugar to taste. You’ll probably use anywhere between 2-4 tablespoons, but it depends on how sweet your strawberries are to begin with. Once your soup is the desired level of sweetness, add in 1/4 teaspoon of basil extract, then add more as needed. If you want to use fresh basil, start with a few chopped leaves and adjust to taste.
Place your soup in the refrigerator to chill overnight or for about 8 hours before serving.
For the croutons, cut 1″ thick slices of angel food cake and then cut into 1″ squares. Place on an oiled baking sheet and place in a 400° oven until the edges are golden brown (about 7 minutes or so). Place the croutons on your soup right before eating.
The light sweetness of the creamy soup paired with the earthy basil and crunchy croutons are an ah-mazing combination! Since I don’t know what the soup that Todd used to get tasted like, I was just making something that tasted good to me, but he absolutely loved it and said it was really close to the original. We ate the soup later that night on our patio with friends, and it was the perfect choice for a hot summer evening. Todd was so sad to eat the last bowl of it, but I reminded him that this time I know where to get the recipe 😉 xo. Laura
Credits // Author and Photography: Laura Gummerman. Photos edited with A Beautiful Mess actions.
Chilled Strawberry Basil Soup
-
2
cups
frozen strawberries
-
1/4
cup
sour cream
-
1/2
cup
half and half
-
1
cup
milk
-
1/4
teaspoon
basil extract
or chopped basil leaves to taste
-
sugar to taste
-
Take all your ingredients except for the sugar and basil extract and blend them until smooth in a blender.
-
Add in your sugar to taste. You'll probably use anywhere between 2-4 tablespoons, but it depends on how sweet your strawberries are to begin with. Once your soup is the desired level of sweetness, add in 1/4 teaspoon of basil extract, then add more as needed. If you want to use fresh basil, start with a few chopped leaves and adjust to taste.
-
Place your soup in the refrigerator to chill overnight or for about 8 hours before serving.
-
For the croutons, cut 1" thick slices of angel food cake and then cut into 1" squares. Place on an oiled baking sheet and place in a 400° oven until the edges are golden brown (about 7 minutes or so). Place the croutons on your soup right before eating.
34 Comments
I’ve never thought of having a sweet soup! I love pairing strawberry with basil as well though, they’re such complementary flavours
Steph – http://nourishmeclean.blogspot.com
This looks so amazing!
This Side of Paradise
Those angel food cake croutons are genius! this sounds like a refreshing treat for the summer time. When I was younger, my mom would make us a mixed berry soup for dinner. It had chunky berries like blueberries, black berries, strawberries and they were not blended together. She would add a splash of cream and it was delicious!
Monica / Mocha and Moccasins
A twist on the Strawberry shake? lol I thought the angel food cake “croutons” were cheesecake bites!
hey!!!
that’s a bit like strawberry milk and I love that.
with croutons is particularly interesting. I’ll try it!
great idea!!!
best, patricia
Wow! This sounds delicious! I think I may give this a try with coconut milk!
Hey! This recepie sounds amazing and we are heading towards strawberry season in Finland. I just wondered what this half and half ingredient is? I’ve never heard it before 🙂
Oh the crouton idea is perfection! So brilliant! This soup sounds so light and delicious. Thanks for sharing! Very interesting with the basil in there… I’ll have to try it sometime!
Happy Summer!
xx Lane
I would have never thought of making strawberry soup but it looks so refreshing and delicious! Strawberries are one of my favorite fruits to eat during the summer, so I’ll definitely be giving this recipe a try. Thanks for sharing!
-Helen
http://www.sweethelengrace.com
This is one of the craziest things I am ever seen! Would you think simple syrup might work better than adding sugar? I’m just wondering if it had that grittiness since it was cold, kind of like with iced coffee. Truthfully, everything after “angel food cake croutons” was a blur !!! Love.
So yummy! Gonna try this one day 🙂 thank you for sharing <3
http://adindanareswari.blogspot.com
Im sorry if this question has been answered already, but when do you think the page protectors will be restocked?
This sounds amazing! I want to eat this right now! Cold soups in the summer are the best!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
I don’t know if thid qualifies as a “soup” more than a “milkshake” but I guess if you put it in a bowl…..it all looks like soup. I’ve never seen basil extract…..I’ll have to roam the grocery store to find that gem!
“Half and half” is a mixture of half heavy cream and half whole milk that is commonly found in the US and Canada. You can buy it in grocery stores pretty much anywhere in North America. Google it to see if you can make your own if they don’t sell it in your country.
This looks so good and is easy to make, I’ll definitely be trying it this week 🙂
You could definitely do simple syrup, but I didn’t have any gritty texture by adding regular sugar so it must dissolve somehow!
Laura 🙂
Hi Kelly! They should be restocked in early September. Sorry for the delay! -Jacki
Woaah, I love strawberries, definitely have to try this!
xx
ani from ani-hearts
♥
This looks divinely delicious for a light supper after a long hot day down South! Thanks for sharing xo
Looks very good! http://www.hannamarielei.com
I can’t wait to try this…I love strawberries…and basil. I would never have thought to put them together.
Yummi looks great and I must try it 🙂
We do it different in Denmark, but all new I like.
Sounds delicious! For the non native speakers, would you mind to tell me what “half and half” and “angel food cake” is, please? 😉
definately gonna try it 🙂
https://letsjusttalkabouteverything.wordpress.com/
This looks simply beautiful, and such an interesting fun summer dish to serve up for friends.
Strawberry soup sounds delicious! I love strawberries, this makes the perfect summer soup!
This looks so yummy. Saving for later use! <3
oh this sounds amazing O_O will have to try if this works with soy / coconut instead of milk stuff though 😀
That sounds weird, but looks amazing. Now I’m wondering how does it taste, so I’ll give it a try.
Oh, I have the same memory of a holiday in Florida and tried several recipes for making the perfect strawberry soup! Eventually I found one I liked the most and it is made with a shot of white grape juice and topped with pistache sugar.
I have got to try this out
How neat that you went back to try and recreate one of his childhood memories. This sounds delish!
YUMMY!!!! I first tried chilled soups on a cruise and haven’t had much luck with them. This was wonderful and the hint of basil is a wonderful surprise. Oh, and the addition of angel food croutons – BRILLIANT!