I’ve been saving cooking magazines for ages. I’ve got several boxes of old Bon Appetites, Gourmets, Fine Cooking, Sunset and others. I used to go back and re-read the older issues. But I’ve come to realize that everything I really need is on the web especially with Epicurious and Find.MyRecipes.

So I’ve been going through the old boxes and recycling the old magazines. I usually will go through and review a few that look interesting.

We have an abundance of cucumbers this year. We’re growing Orient Express and it has been producing like crazy. I came across this interesting recipe in Sunset for a cold creamy cucumber soup. I had this in France and loved it.

The recipe is very easy. I was surprised to see that it had celery but it added depth to the soup. I’m definitely going to make this one again.

Creamy Cucumber Soup
Sunset – July 2002

2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 pound White Rose or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 cup thinly sliced onion
1 cup thickly sliced celery (about 2 stalks)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped parsley
1 green onion, rinsed, ends trimmed, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon butter
1 English cucumber (about 12 oz.), rinsed, or regular cucumber, peeled and seeded
About 3/4 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
About 1/2 teaspoon salt
About 1/8 teaspoon hot sauce

1. Combine 2 1/2 cups broth, potatoes, onion, celery, parsley, green onion, thyme, and butter in a 5- to 6-quart pan; cover and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes mash easily with a fork, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.

2. Meanwhile, thinly slice a fourth of the cucumber; wrap airtight and chill. Coarsely chop remaining.

3. Working in batches, whirl potato mixture and chopped cucumber in a blender until smooth; pour into a large bowl. Stir in 3/4 cup crème fraîche, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon hot sauce. Cover and chill until cold, at least 1 hour, or up to 1 day.

4. Thin soup with more broth. If desired, add more salt and hot sauce to taste. Ladle into bowls and garnish with sliced cucumber and more crème fraîche.