Something that has always struck me in the United States is the warmth extended to newcomers. There is a good deal more of this spirit than we have in France, where one does not always make friends immediately. After many trips to America, I must say I have been taught a little about welcoming strangers myself. And this menu, with an amusing fish pâté molded in macaroni to resemble a beehive, is the sort of gay meal I would serve to make people feel at home.
The cold soup of cucumber is perhaps a familiar first course, especially agreeable for warm weather. But Michael and I have given it a different treatment here, with a light base of potato for body and flavor. The soup, then, needs only a light enrichment of sour cream, so it is not overly rich, a criticism I often have of cold soups. The garnish of chopped cucumber and tomato adds a further refreshing touch. If, by the way, you can find the kind of unwaxed cucumbers that in America are often called “English,” the soup can be made with the cucumbers left unpeeled, which will give a cool hint of green. But certainly it can be made with the usual cucumbers as well, with the thicker and often bitter peel removed.
