"I literally didn't know how to boil an egg until I was in my 20s — when I tried to impress a guy by making dinner for him," writes Sally Siegel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. "I didn't have much success with the dinner or the guy, but I regrouped and put together a repertoire of fairly elegant dishes I felt confident making. Luckily, my husband, Loren, likes to cook as much as I do, so we really work as a team when we give dinner parties. We're both real estate agents, and we like to entertain clients — we've made some great friends by selling houses to them."
Silky and light, this blender soup would make a delicate summer starter. Bonus: It comes together very quickly.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Melt butter in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add flour and stir 1 minute. Add clam juice, broth, and half and half; bring soup to boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until slightly thickened, whisking occasionally, about 5 minutes. Puree soup in batches in blender, adding 1 diced avocado, 2 tablespoons cilantro, chili, and lime juice to last batch. Return soup to pot. Add crabmeat and simmer until heated through, about 3 minutes. Season soup with salt and pepper.
Step 2
Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with remaining diced avocado and cilantro.