Cold Soup

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

A rich and satisfying soup with great roasted tomato flavor. Put it into a wide-mouth thermos to o keep it cold for a picnic; it's also nice hot or at room temperature.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

The lovely color and tangy taste of this starter make it a real crowd pleaser. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

This lovely summer soup has a rich, smooth texture even though it contains no cream. For a picnic, bring the cold soup in a thermos and the chives in a plastic bag, and then serve in sturdy ceramic bowls.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less, but requires additional unattended time.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

Truffle oil adds earthy nuances to this summer soup, but don't worry if you don't have any on hand: The soup will still be good without it. Open a nice bottle of Champagne to go with the meal.

Yellow tomatoes — which are typically sweeter than red ones — flavor a sunny Golden State version of the chilled summer soup. Begin preparing this recipe one day before you plan to serve it.

North African spices combine with a touch of honey and lemon in a refreshing summer soup.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional sitting time.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr (includes chilling) The electric blender (originally a bartender's tool for daiquiris) became a must-have home appliance in the 1950s. Cooks grew enamored of the blender's ability to create velvet-smooth soups — soups previously (and messily) forced through food mills and sieves.

Threads of rosy-tipped snow crabmeat look pretty atop this jade green soup, but you may want to splurge on jumbo lump crabmeat. This is also delicious hot.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

For easy serving, ladle the soup into pretty bowls, and set them on the buffet table.