Tomato-Zucchini Soup 2 ways, with Cheese Toasts

~Tomato Zucchini Bisque with Cheese Toasts~

Recently I've been sampling recipes from the Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook: Breakfast, Brunch & Beyond from New York's Favorite Neighborhood Restaurant  
authored by the owners  DeDe Lahman and Neil Kleinberg.

After collecting cookbooks for so many years, these days I am particular about any that I add to my (groaning) bookshelves. However after reading the reviews on amazon.com, and reading through the book in person ~  I'm really happy I decided to get this one. I'm currently working my waythrough some of their fantastic recipes.It's a beautiful cookbook with plenty ofgorgeous full page photos of many of the recipes.


(Click the link to take a free look inside the cookbook)

While their bakery and restaurant are noted as being New York's number one breakfast spot by many fans (and famous for their long waits to get in the door) attesting to their popularity. 
And the bonus is the cookbook also includes recipes for many items from their lunch and dinner menu.  
The first thing I cooked from the book that isn't a breakfast/brunch item was this Tomato Zucchini Bisque, which I tweaked just a little bit. And if you're eating Dairy Free,you can simply omit the milk or cream, and it's still delicious.
To make the bisque, first you cook the vegetables,then smooth it out by running the mixture throughthe blender in two batches; at this point you add thecream if you're using it.  I did ~ and yum!!
And since this recipe yields  8 to 10 servings, Ionly processed half of the recipe; the rest I servedas a Chunky Tomato-Zucchini soup, without the cream. I garnished with shaved Parmesan and a sprinkling of fresh thyme leaves. I'm not sure they serve it chunky-style atthe restaurant (it's not mentioned in the book)  it was delicious as well!
I used a creamy goat cheese to make the Cheese Toasts,but you can substitute any cheese that melts well.


~Yummy Chunky Tomato Zucchini Soup~


Since we couldn't decide which version we preferred~ 




I served both!
 This made a hearty, and delicious dinner on a dark, stormy night. (And great lunch the next day as well!)

If you would like my version of these recipes with my owntweaks, hop on over to my recipe blog.
To learn more about Clinton Street Baking Companyyou can take a look at their website (and their menus.)
Do you have a favorite comforting cool weather soup?I'd love to hear about them!
Thanks for stopping by, friends. xo ~Mari

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