Soup Diary 100402

This is a catch-up edition of the diary, as my travels (and lack of posting) have put me several cups behind. I'll describe the soups I sampled in Europe next time, but first, some comments on those I had immediately before taking off. The first was a cup of Rosemary Zucchini and it was not that great. Zucchini is such a boring vegetable generally, it really can't carry the weight of being the featured flavor in a soup (at least in my opinion). Since it was made by the chefs at Fables, it wasn't bad exactly, just pretty bland in comparison to their usual standard. A couple days after that, I sampled the Braised Pork with White Bean, which was a definite improvement, but still not in the spectacular category. This was pretty hearty, and more flavorful than the Zucchini, but still not in the upper echelon. The last cup I had though, was the Roasted Red Pepper Bisque (pictured above), and that is one of the signature varieties at Fables (in fact, I think it may be the stuff that first hooked me on their soup, and launched my campaign to try all their multitude of offerings). I don't think I'd had this in over a year, but with the first spoonful I was reminded of just what a treat a good soup can be. I have to learn to make this for myself; but then, I'll possibly grow tired of it, and we can't have that. No-- better to keep it a rare experience of rediscovery, rather than turn it into something mundane. Besides, I'd probably never be able to match the quality given my limited culinary skills.