Avocados are one of my favorite vegetable, or is it a fruit?  Either way, I love their creamy texture, their subtle flavor – they are perfect in mexican food, on salads, to turn into a dip (guacamole) – I could go on and on…in fact, my favorite restaurant serves an Avocado Mousse for dessert.  Although I have not been able to stray from the olive oil cake to try it – but that is another post.

I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit and I knew it would be on my short list to try.  Every week when I order my fruit and vegetables from the CSA, if avocados are available, they are on my list.  This soup was OUTSTANDING!  First of all, I loved that it only took 2 avocados to make (mine were medium-sized), and what a wonderful flavor the soup had!  The breadcrumbs on top were definitely amazing with the soup – and the whole thing was so easy to make.  If you are trying to impress someone this summer, this is the perfect soup to make.  I can picture eating this soup outside when it is sweltering out – even though when I served it, it was dumping down rain and in the 50s – and yes, it is June.  No, really, I am not bitter at all.

Ingredients

Breadcrumbs

• 1 4x4x1/2-inch slice soft white sandwich bread with crust
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preparation

Soup

Place diced avocado in blender. Add 1 1/2 cups broth, whipping cream, lime juice, and coarse salt. Puree until smooth. Transfer soup to 4-cup measuring cup; add more broth by 1/4 cupfuls to thin soup, if desired. Cover and chill at least 2 hours. DO AHEAD Soup can be made up to 4 hours ahead. Keep chilled.

Breadcrumbs

Finely grind bread in processor. Melt butter in medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add breadcrumbs to skillet; stir until golden, about 1 minute. Add paprika, coarse salt, and cayenne; stir until crumbs are crisp, about 1 minute longer. Transfer to small bowl and cool. DO AHEAD Breadcrumbs can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and store at room temperature.

Pour cold soup into eight 1/3-cup glasses or other small glasses. Sprinkle each serving lightly with breadcrumbs.

Makes 8 shots, or 4 small cups.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Chilled Avocado Soup Shots with Spicy Breadcrumbs