Difficulty Level: Easy

I knew if I just persevered making chilled soups, it would eventually get hot enough to eat one and really appreciate it. Summer arrived at our lake mid-August to give us a gorgeous, hot sun-drenched week. We were swimming in the lake, eating salads, drinking white wine instead of red and I finally got to wear the shorts I bought in May. I guess I shouldn't complain as I've had lots of time indoors to make preserves and pickles without missing the sunshine.

This is a great soup to make if you are having company. You have to make it ahead and give it at least two hours to chill properly, and then you just garnish it and serve. I got lazy and didn't cut my tomatoes and peppers finely enough. I suppose you could puree it, but I like some texture. If you did decide to puree, it might be better to serve it in shot glasses to drink rather than in a bowl.

If you haven't been too affected by the tomato blight and have local vine-ripened tomatoes, this is a good choice. I used up all of my preserved red peppers from last year, so I roasted one fresh and used it, although the recipe calls for peppers from a jar. For a vegan soup, leave out the goat cheese garnish.

INGREDIENTS