The garnishes added to soup should give instant eye-appeal, so choose them carefully to add contrast in colour and texture. Suggestions about suitable garnishes appear at the end of recipes in this book. Crisp toppings, such as croûtons and Melba toast, are familiar accompaniments to soup, but there are many others. Some of my favourites include Bruschetta and Crostini, which are flavoured with garlic and olive oil.
In my opinion nothing is nicer with soup than delicious home-made bread or rolls, or for a change scones, muffins or cornbread. Recipes for all these can be found in my Basic Basics Baking Handbook (Grub Street).
Cooking time: 5 to 6 minutes • Serves 4 to 6
The quantities below will make enough for 4 to 6 servings. Since croûtons store or freeze very well, it is worth making a large batch.
White bread makes more attractive-looking croûtons, but those made from brown or wholemeal bread have a very good flavour. If anxious to avoid fried foods, bake or toast the croûtons instead, see below.
| Metric/Imperial | Ingredients | American |
| 2 large | slices of bread | 2 large |
| For frying | ||
| 40 g/1½ oz | butter | 3 tablespoons |
| 1 tablespoon | sunflower or olive oil | 1¼ tablespoons |
Trim off the crusts and cut the crumb into 6 mm/¼ inch dice. Heat the butter and oil in a frying pan, add the diced bread and fry steadily, turning frequently, until golden brown on all sides. Drain on kitchen paper and use immediately, or cool and freeze (see over).
Deep-Fried Croûtons: Heat the oil in a deep fryer to 190°C/375°F. Put the diced bread into a fine-meshed frying basket and cook for 2 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper and serve immediately or freeze (see page 194).
Baked Croutons 1: Dice the bread and place on ungreased baking trays. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 and bake the bread for about 12 minutes, or until crisp and golden in colour. If more convenient, cook for about 30 minutes at 150°C/300°F/gas mark 2. There is no need to drain these croûtons. If really dry and crisp, they can be stored in tins or airtight jars.
Baked Croûtons 2: Toss the diced bread in 1 tablespoon oil or melted butter, then place on baking trays and bake in the oven preheated to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Drain on kitchen paper and serve immediately or freeze (see below).
Toasted Croûtons: Toast the slices of bread until brown and crisp then cut into small dice. These toasted croûtons are better freshly made.
Garlic Croûtons: Follow the main recipe or the first variation but add 1 or 2 crushed garlic cloves to the butter and oil.
Another way to incorporate a garlic flavour is to toss the cooked croûtons in a very little garlic salt before serving.
Freezing: Put the croûtons on flat plates or trays and open-freeze until firm. Pack and use within 3 months.
Cooking time: 25 to 30 minutes • Serves 8 to 10
These make an excellent garnish on a variety of soups, especially vegetable soups. It is advisable to use Parmesan cheese because it sticks to the buttered bread better than any other cheese, and its strong flavour means that only a small amount is necessary.
| Metric/Imperial | Ingredients | American |
| 5 large | slices of bread, about 1.25 to 2 cm/½ to ¾ inch thick | 5 large |
| 75 g/3 oz | butter | ⅜ cup |
| 50 g/2 oz | Parmesan cheese, see method | ½ cup |
Trim off the crusts, then cut the crumb into 1.25 to 2 cm/½ to ¾ inch squares. Melt the butter and finely grate the cheese. Carefully turn the bread in the melted butter, then roll in the grated cheese. If you want a really thick coating, use at least 50 per cent more cheese.
Preheat the baking trays and the oven to 150°C/300°F/gas mark 2. This ensures that the croûtons do not stick to the trays. Arrange the croûtons in a single layer on the trays and bake until golden. Allow to cool.
Freezing: Open-freeze the croûtons on flat trays, then pack into bags or boxes. (Open-freezing ensures they do not stick together.)
The orthodox way of making Melba toast is to toast slices of bread on both sides, then split them horizontally to give ultra-thin slices. The untoasted sides are then toasted until crisp and brown.
I find this process somewhat dangerous, even with a good sharp knife and a steady hand. My preferred method is to cut wafer-thin slices of bread and bake them on baking trays in the oven preheated to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. After about 10 minutes the slices are really crisp and brown. Serve with butter.
Fingers of savoury toast combine well with many soups. The toast must be freshly made, then spread with butter and topping and served at once.
Anchovy Toast: Spread the hot toast with a little butter and some anchovy paste.
Instead of anchovy paste, use canned anchovies in oil. Drain and chop the fish and blend with a little unsalted butter. Spread on the bread, cut into fingers and top with chopped parsley.
Cooked fresh anchovies can be used in the same way as the canned variety.
Serve with fish soups.
Cheese on Toast: Spread hot toast with a little butter, then add thin slices of Cheddar, Gruyère or other good cooking cheese. Put under a preheated grill for just a few minutes until the cheese melts, then cut into neat fingers.
Herb-flavoured cream cheese can be used instead of sliced cheese, but do not heat this: simply spread on hot toast.
Serve particularly with vegetable soups.
Pâté on Toast: Soft liver pâté or fish pâté can be spread neatly on hot, buttered toast, then garnished with small pieces of lemon, orange or tomato. If the pâté is firm, cut in slices to fit the toast.
Tapenade, the anchovy and olive spread from Provence, and similar mixtures, such as Gentleman’s Relish, make good toppings on hot toast. They can also be used on fingers of bread and butter.
Cooking time: a few minutes
This is a simple but delicious Italian delicacy, in which bread is grilled and flavoured with garlic and olive oil.
| Metric/Imperial | Ingredients | American |
| 1 | Italian loaf | 1 |
| 1 | garlic clove | 1 |
| several tablespoons | extra virgin olive oil | several tablespoons |
Slice and toast the bread, or prepare it in the oven, as described in Melba Toast (see page 195). Peel the garlic clove, cut across the middle, then rub the cut ends over the hot bread. Drizzle with olive oil and eat at once.
• The toasted or oven-baked crisp bread can be topped with the ingredients suggested on page 195. I also like to use finely chopped mixed peppers fried in a little olive oil as a topping. Ricotta cheese is an excellent topping, by itself or under the cooked peppers.
Crostini: is another name given to these slices of toast. Crostini can be flavoured with garlic and oil too or topped with various savoury ingredients.
Do not freeze.
Cooking time: 10 to 15 minutes • Serves 4 to 6
| Metric/Imperial | Ingredients | American |
| 1 | long French loaf (baguette) | 1 |
| For the filling | ||
| 85 g/3 oz | butter | ⅜ cup |
| 2 to 3 | garlic cloves, to taste | 2 to 3 |
| little | salt | little |
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6. Make several slits in the loaf at regular intervals, but do not cut right the way through.
Cream the butter. Peel and crush the garlic cloves. Blend the garlic with the butter, then insert in the slits in the loaf. Wrap in foil and bake for 10 minutes. For a crustier finish, leave unwrapped and heat for 15 minutes.
Anchovy Bread: Blend the 85 g/3 oz (⅜ cup) butter with 1 teaspoon anchovy essence or several finely chopped anchovies. Insert into the loaf and bake as above.
Garlic Cheese Bread: Blend 50 g/2 oz (½ cup) butter, 50 g/2 oz (½ cup) grated Gruyère or other cheese with the crushed garlic. Insert into the loaf and bake as above.
Savoury Cream Cheese Bread: Mix 100 g/4 oz (½ cup) cream cheese with 1 tablespoon (1¼ tablespoons) chopped gherkins, 2 teaspoons chopped capers and 1 tablespoon (1¼ tablespoons) chopped parsley. Insert into the loaf and bake as above.
Tomato Butter: Blend 85 g/3 oz (⅜ cup) butter with 1 to 2 tablespoons (1¼ to 2½ tablespoons) tomato purée (paste). Insert into the loaf and bake as above.
The filled bread can be heated for approximately 1½ minutes on defrost setting in the microwave. Using a higher setting makes the bread hard.
Freezing: All except the garlic filling freeze well. Do not freeze the filled and baked loaf.
Cooking time: 8 to 10 minutes • Serves 4 to 8, depending upon the recipe
A speciality of Norwegian cuisine, these chicken balls are an excellent garnish for chicken and other soups. It is important to use uncooked chicken to give the maximum flavour to the mixture.
| Metric/Imperial | Ingredients | American |
| 225 g/8 oz | uncooked chicken breast, weight without skin and bone | ½ lb |
| 2 | egg yolks or 1 egg | 2 |
| 75 g/3 oz | butter, chicken fat or margarine | ⅜ cup |
| 2 tablespoons | double (heavy) cream, or amount needed, see method | 2½ tablespoons |
| to taste | salt and freshly ground black pepper | to taste |
Finely mince or process the chicken breast. Add the egg yolks or egg, the unmelted butter or other fat and mix very well. Stir in the cream, using a little extra if the chicken flesh is very lean. Season to taste and form into balls about the size of a small olive with the help of a teaspoon.
Fill a deep frying pan with water, bring to the boil and add a little salt. Drop in the balls, cook for 8 to 10 minutes and drain well.
Freezing: Place the uncooked or cooked balls on a flat tray, freeze until hard, then pack. There is no need to defrost the mixture before cooking or heating. If uncooked, simmer as directed in the main recipe, or poach for about 12 minutes in the very hot soup. If cooked poach for 3 or 4 minutes only.
Mix all the ingredients in a food processor; take care not to over-process or the ingredients will become too sticky.