Many people don't eat a baked potato without a pat of butter or a sprinkle of good cheese. Others wouldn't touch a salad without any salad dressing. In my house, we're pretty adamant that soup should have a little something on top, too. It can be as simple as a dollop of sour cream or a sprinkling of parsley. It can be as traditional as baked croutons. Or it can be a little more interesting and inspired.
Since this is Soup Week on the Kitchn, it seemed appropriate to dive right in with what excites us when it comes to what to put on top of your soup. Because so often that really rounds out the dish, no? While we love dollops of pesto and sauces, we focused on ideas with a little substance, character and crunch.
Try One:
• Ripe Olive and Goat Cheese Toasts - Epicurious
• Potato Croutons - 101 Cookbooks
• Lentil Crisps - Food and Wine
• Parmesan Pita Crisps - Good Housekeeping
• Homemade Cheez-Its - Ready Made Magazine
Related: Soup Topper Recipe: Zesty Croutons
(Image: Megan Gordon)
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Just last night, my husband threw dehydrated shallots (from the Asian food store) on his soup and declared it genius!
I recently AGONIZED over how to dress my butternut squash soup. It was for a special occasion. I did little flowers out of beet coulis. I am so curious to know if there is a 'proper' cullinary name for this. Help! Here is the picture at the top of my post.
http://ottawafood.blogspot.com/2011/10/i-found-heart-of-my-story-for-my.html
What kind of soup is that in the picture? I looks amazing!
I have made tiny omelets to serve with soup (Stephanie Alexander's recipe). They were quite good!
http://technicolorkitcheninenglish.blogspot.com/2010/06/kitchen-garden-soup-with-tiny-herb.html
I like adding a handful of roasted chickpeas!
I find celery leaves to be a refreshing topping for creamy soups. @Ottawa, it may not be fancy but celery leaves are great on sweet potato soup.
Popcorn! Just add it at the last minute so it doesn't get soggy.
I just made a batch of the Kabocha and Fennel soup from Suzanne Goin's "Sunday Suppers @ Lucques." It's AMAZING all on its own, but I'm excited to make the candied pumpkin seeds she recommends as a garnish later tonight after work. (Ran out of time yesterday night after a marathon cooking session that included a full blown meltdown over chicken breasts. Gave myself a break).
The soup pictured is a roasted tomato soup:
http://asweetspoonful.com/2011/10/settling.html
Cubes of French toast are great in oyster stew.
This may be because I'm from Wisconsin, but I have to put cheese on most soups.