Chef Marjorie Dishes Out the Secrets to “Entertaining by the Gallon”
(Brookline, Mass…May 15, 2007) As backyard barbecues, boat excursions and beach trips get etched in our summer calendars, New England Soup Factory in Brookline and Newton, Mass., has what any party planner needs to be the “host with the most.” This is the longed-for season where chef/co-owner Marjorie Druker goes out of her way to provide customers with the essentials to ease their summer entertaining needs. She encourages patrons to take home gallons of her gazpachos, borschts and vichyssoises and pass them off as their own.
“I want my customers to relax, enjoy summer and let me worry about the cooking…It’ll be our little secret!” says Chef Marjorie. “These soups are a fun way to spice up the typical hot dog BBQ. They also make great hostess gifts when you’re attending a party.”
The warmer months welcome ingredients like cucumber, lime, avocado, raspberry and nectarine. It’s with these flavors that Chef Marjorie makes endless batches of what she calls “summer soothers” that supply cooling comfort as humidity hovers over New England. Beet and Raspberry, English Cucumber and Chive with Greek Yogurt and Hungarian Bing Cherry are a few of the chilled soups that customers can serve at their next neighborhood get-together.
The must-have centerpiece for any picnic or patio table is one of Chef Marjorie’s hand-crafted salads, such as freshly spun garden greens with goat cheese, raspberries, blueberries and almonds, topped with pomegranate-honey vinaigrette. Chef Marjorie further simplifies your summer entertaining with homemade sides like Roasted Artichoke and Fusilli Salad and Country Chopped Potato Salad with Eggs and Pickles.
Don’t forget lunch! Personal servings of chilled soups, as well as some hot year-round favorites, are available at New England Soup Factory. Visit www.newenglandsoupfactory.com for up-to-date information on summer flavors being featured daily at the Newton and Brookline locations. A recipe and photo of Chef Marjorie’s Yellow Tomato Gazpacho with Lobster is below. Contact Colleen Oteri at colleen@civettacom.com for a high resolution version.
About New England Soup Factory
Inspired simply by a love of food and their motto to “feed your body well,” the husband and wife team of Marjorie Druker and Paul Brophy opened the first New England Soup Factory in Brookline, Mass., in 1995 and a second location in Newton, Mass., in 1998. As graduates of Johnson & Wales University, they combine sophisticated culinary and business training with a passion for soup to create the ultimate in gourmet grab-and-go comfort food. Chef Marjorie’s commitment to sourcing only the best ingredients that local markets have to offer allows her to joyfully simmer each soup from scratch, capturing seasonal flavors at their peak and creating wholesome, satisfying meals in a bowl. The New England Soup Factory Cookbook: More Than 100 Recipes from the Nation’s Best Purveyor of Fine Soup (Rutledge Hill Press) will be published in September 2007. Visit www.newenglandsoupfactory.com to learn more.
Yellow Tomato Gazpacho with Lobster
Marjorie Druker
Chef/Co-Owner, New England Soup Factory
Makes 2 gallons
Ingredients:
12 large yellow tomatoes, blanched, peeled and diced
3 yellow peppers, finely diced
2 bunches of scallions, thinly sliced
1 large Vidalia onion, finely diced
2 English cucumbers, finely diced
1 golden pineapple, finely diced
2 papayas, finely diced
6 cloves fresh garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice of six limes
1/4 cup Champagne vinegar
1 tablespoon green Tabasco sauce
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1 cup plain bread crumbs
8 cups V-8 Splash juice (tropical flavor)
2 pounds cooked and chilled lobster meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
Avocado for garnish
Procedure:
In a very large and deep bowl, add all of the vegetables and fruits, including the fresh garlic. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the olive oil, lime juice and Champagne vinegar. Stir well, and let macerate for 15 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the lobster and avocado, and stir to combine. Purée four cups of the mixture in a blender, and add back into the soup. Add the lobster, and gently stir to incorporate. Check for seasoning, and chill at least four hours before serving. To serve, ladle chilled gazpacho into glass bowls or wine goblets, and top with fresh avocado and lobster to garnish.
