Chilled Lemon Cucumber & Fresh Pea Soup

BlogHer Food has been such a whirlwind that I need to think on it for a couple of days before I can post some about it (and get my derriere to post process all the shots I took). It went by fast that's for sure which is why I am so happy I extended my stay by a couple of days and stayed with my close friend Anita and her husband and got to hang out with some more of my favorite people which I will pimp out in future post, eheh.. They are truly my home away from home.

Like most of us attending BlogHer Food, I met Anita online when I started leaving comment on her blog everytime she posted a new cocktail. Not that I drink that much but I do love the mixology part of the cocktail, the technique and craft very closely related to food. We exchanged emails, we sent cards then little gifts. We just clicked. And they got two adorable pups...all about that! It was nice to spend a couple of days relaxing and exploring San Francisco aside from the conference. So hard to get any time off these day.

Chris and Tami, my roommates at the conference hotel, joked that we have to meet on the other side of the country to catch up when we only live a few hours from each other. And catch up we did. It was pretty much Comedy Central from the moment we'd get up until bedtime when we'd literally crash on our pillows. Love those two. Gracious definitely comes to mind when I think about them. They are gracious of their time, advice, energy, faults and strength. Tami sees the world with a brutal honesty I admire and seek while Chris is one of the most nurturing woman I know.

I'll go back more on BlogHer Food in a later post but there were moment that made me want to get all these people on a plane and ship them back with me to Charleston. They would love it here, they would love my friends her and they would love them back. I know that. In those moments I start thinking of the gatherings we would have around our dinner table and the belly laughs that would soon follow. I begin picking the menu in my head according to what I think I'd find at the market. Right now, we would undeniably start dinner with this Lemon Cucumber and Pea Soup I made the other day.

It's not Fall here quite yet so we are still enjoying tons of salads, cold soups, light entrees. After making gazpacho and Vichyssoise a lot this summer, I took opportunity of another trip to the market and loaded up on tiny lemon cucumbers for a cold soup. They owe their name to their shape rather than their taste but they are distinctively mellower than regular cucumbers. The ones I have been getting also seem to have more flesh to seed ratio but feel free to use what you have available.

This soup is nothing but easy to make, easy to eat and easy to crave some more. It makes a refreshing starter a great little chaser during a long multi course meal.

I almost forgot to announce the winner of the Scharffen-Berger giveaway.....! And the box full of chocolate goodies goes to: Emily from Five And Spice! Congratulations! Please get in touch with me (mytartelette @ gmail . com) so we can get this box shipped out to you!

Lemon Cucumber and Fresh Pea Soup:

Serves 4 as an appetizer

Notes: we like to top ours with some pomegranate seeds for a bit of a crunch and a little tartness to a mellow soup but you could skip this step entirely or use polenta croutons, toasted nuts, pumpkin seeds, root chips, etc...
If you can find pea shoots, they make a lovely topping but a few leaves of arugula would work also to add to the soup.

1 cup fresh peas, shelled(can use frozen of needed but not canned)
4 lemon cucumebers or one regular cucumber
water of vegetable stock
salt and pepper
pomegranate seeds and pea shoots optional but very tasty...

In a large pot of boiling water, blanch the fresh peas until fork tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and immediately dump the peas in a bowl of ice cold water to cool and stop the cooking process. Once they are cold, drain completely.
In the meantime, peel and seed the cucumbers. Seeding is not mandatory but I would definitely do it if I were to use regular cucumbers from the store.
Place the peas and cucumbers in a food processor and start pureeing them. Depending on the amount of water originally in the cucumbers, you might need to add water or vegetable stock to reach the consistency you desire, anywhere from a few tablespoons to 1/3 cup. Salt and pepper to taste.
Keep refrigerated until ready to eat.