Cream of Cucumber Soup with Herbs

This soup was inspired by Julia Child’s Potage aux Concombres, from The French Chef Cookbook, which taught me the pleasures of cooked cucumber soup. I’ve substituted vegetable broth, wine, and water for chicken stock; fresh herbs for dried; scallions for shallots; oil for butter; and light cream for sour cream—but the recipe is much the same, and just dandy. The use of farina (Cream of Wheat) as thickener instead of the traditional potatoes means a fresher cucumber taste.

Ser