Tomato-Zucchini Soup 2 ways, with Cheese Toasts

~Tomato Zucchini Bisque with Cheese Toasts~

Recently I've been sampling recipes from the  Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook:  Breakfast, Brunch & Beyond from New York's Favorite Neighborhood Restaurant   
authored by the owners   DeDe Lahman and Neil Kleinberg.

After collecting cookbooks for so many years,  these days I am particular about any that I add to my  (groaning) bookshelves.   However after reading the reviews on amazon.com,  and reading through the book in person ~   I'm really happy I decided to get this one.  I'm currently working my way through some of their fantastic recipes. It's a beautiful cookbook with plenty of gorgeous full page photos of many of the recipes.


(Click the link to take a free look inside the cookbook)

While their bakery and restaurant are noted as being  New York's number one breakfast spot by many fans  (and famous for their long waits to get in the door)  attesting to their popularity. 
And the bonus is the cookbook also includes recipes  for many items from their lunch and dinner menu.  
The first thing I cooked from the book that isn't a breakfast/brunch  item was this Tomato Zucchini Bisque, which I tweaked just a little bit.  And if you're eating Dairy Free, you can simply omit the milk or cream, and it's still delicious.
To make the bisque, first you cook the vegetables, then smooth it out by running the mixture through the blender in two batches; at this point you add the cream if you're using it.  I did ~ and yum!!
And since this recipe yields  8 to 10 servings, I only processed half of the recipe;  the rest I servedas a Chunky Tomato-Zucchini soup,  without the cream. I garnished with shaved Parmesan  and a sprinkling of fresh thyme leaves.   I'm not sure they serve it chunky-style at the restaurant (it's not mentioned in the book)   it was delicious as well!
I used a creamy goat cheese to make the Cheese Toasts, but you can substitute any cheese that melts well.


~Yummy Chunky Tomato Zucchini Soup~


Since we couldn't decide which version we preferred~ 




I served both!
  This made a hearty, and delicious dinner on a dark, stormy night.  (And great lunch the next day as well!)

If you would like my version of these recipes with my own tweaks, hop on over to my recipe blog.
To learn more about Clinton Street Baking Company you can take a look at their website (and their menus.)
Do you have a favorite comforting cool weather soup? I'd love to hear about them!
Thanks for stopping by, friends. xo ~Mari