There are, by my count, at least seven levels of fried chicken. The worst of them is good; the best, which I waited forty-four years to find, led to what can only be called an out-of-body experience. Let’s start at …
Creative Ways to Serve Soup
Add flair to a soup course with some imaginative serving techniques. Soups do not always have to be served in bowls. Employing different serving vessels and adding finishing touches to the dish will add a visual appeal to your soup that would be lacking from simply ladling the soup into a bowl. Add this to my Recipe Box.
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Hollow Fruit
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For a chilled summer fruit soup, hollow out a large melon, leaving behind the thick rind to hold the soup. Present individual servings of chilled gazpacho in hollowed firm tomatoes instead of bowls. For a crowd, make a warm pumpkin soup and pour it into a hollowed pumpkin shell for a tureen. These impromptu "bowls" are not intended as part of the meal, but they require no washing and can be added to compost heaps once emptied.
Soup Stemware
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Cocktail glasses and wine goblets can create an elegant soup presentation. Try a seafood soup in a margarita glass with a cooked and peeled shrimp dangling over the side as a garnish. Bar glasses should be used for chilled soups since the glass is thin and hot soups could cool too quickly. Chill the glasses before adding the cold soup. This will prevent the soup from warming from the room's temperature.
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Two-in-One Service
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For an eye-catching side-by-side presentation serve two soups in the same bowl. This is suited only for two thick soups, preferably with a vegetable puree base. Try vibrant combinations such as green split pea with a white cauliflower soup or pumpkin bisque with a bright red pepper soup. Simultaneously pour a single ladle of each soup type into opposite halves of a soup bowl, creating a single,sharp border between the two, if done correctly. This technique may take some practice to get it right, but it will be worth the effort.
Pitch It
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Present a soup bowl containing only cooked meat or bread. Bring the heated soup out in a large ceramic pitcher and pour it on top. For example, place a cooked chicken leg or boneless breast in the bowl for a chicken noodle soup. This ensures that every one gets an entire piece of chicken. Instead of placing a toast on top of a bowl of French onion soup, put the toast at the bottom and pour the soup on top. As the warm soup breaks down the bread, it will thicken the soup. Place a mound of shredded, raw vegetables in the bowl and pour a hot vegetable soup on top. The thin cut of the shredded vegetables will allow the heat from the soup alone to cook them through to tenderness.
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