As Little Rock’s Soup Sunday fundraiser approaches, we’re excited to have guest blogger Kevin Shalin, the foodie best known as The Mighty Rib and co-chair of this year’s event, here to share recipes for a few of the featured soups. This week, he chatted with The Croissanterie and shares their recipe for Chocolate Mocha Soup.
The 44th Annual Little Rock Soup Sunday benefiting Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families takes place on March 2 at The Venue at Westwind in North Little Rock. While the event is still a couple of months away, it’s never too early to start dreaming about the 30-plus soups from area restaurants that will be on hand. One of them will be this Chocolate Mocha Soup, a wildly creative soup from the ladies at The Croissanterie.
“Doing a dessert soup started as a joke, but it became a reality as we started researching and testing recipes,” says co-owner Wendy Schay. “We like to challenge ourselves and think outside the box, so we came up with the Chocolate Mocha Soup. We wanted it to be a touch savory, so we included balsamic and basil in the strawberry relish, and the finishing touch of the crunchy fried croissant is never a bad idea.”
If you can’t wait until March 2, here’s the recipe to try out at home. Warning: it’s quite good.
Chocolate Mocha Soup from The Croissanterie
Yield: Approximately 1 quart
SHOP
Soup
24 ounces whole milk
5 ounces sweetened condensed milk
6 ounces semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons instant coffee/espresso
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
Strawberry Relish
3 strawberries
1/2 ounce strawberry puree
1/2 teaspoon vanilla balsamic
1/2 teaspoon basil oil
1 basil leaf, chopped
croissant crouton dusted in powdered sugar or sweet crouton of choice, for garnish
PREPARE
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir together the whole milk and sweetened condensed milk. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, add the chocolate and whisk until melted. Stir in vanilla extract and instant coffee. Continue stirring until dissolved.
Combine cornstarch and water to make a slurry. Add the slurry to the pan a little at a time, whisking constantly. Cook 5-7 minutes until the soup is slightly thickened and smooth. If too thick, adjust consistency by slowly adding milk.
To make the relish, dice the strawberries and then toss with the puree, vanilla balsamic, basil oil, and chopped basil.
Serve soup warm. Garnish with strawberry relish and a deep-fried croissant crouton dusted in powdered sugar.
Soup Sunday is Just Around the Corner
Central Arkansas’s Soup Sunday is March 2. Don’t miss your chance to support Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families while trying soups from more than 30 local restaurants.
