A typical Scandinavian soup.

• 1 medium-sized tin each: prunes, apricots, pears
• 3 tart apples, peeled, cored and chopped
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 T cornstarch, mixed to a paste with a little cold water

Combine fruits (with their juices), apple and cinnamon, and add 1 cup water. Simmer very gently until the fruit is extremely mushy (about 10 minutes). Force through a sieve into a saucepan, add the cornstarch mixed with water, bring to a boil and stir smoothly, cooking for 2 minutes. Cool over­night before serving.

NOTE: Almost any fruit can be used for the cold Scandina­vian fruit soups: cherries, strawberries, raspberries—even peaches or nectarines . . . but the basic theory is always the same: Reduce the fruit to a mush with enough water to aid in extracting the natural juice; sweeten to taste (if you are using fresh fruit); spice with a cinnamon stick or 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg; thicken with cornstarch and water. Chill overnight, and serve with a few bits of fresh fruit.

A Levantine version of Gazpacho, substituting eggplant for the cucumbers.

• 2 green peppers, skinned and seeded
• 2 small eggplants, skinned and seeded
• 6 T olive oil
• 3 cups yogurt
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic, pressed
• a pinch each of Cayenne and powdered mint

Cooked minced peppers and eggplants in oil very gently for about 15 minutes; do not brown. When soft, mash finely, and mix with all other ingredients. Chill overnight and serve ice-cold.

• 2 peeled seeded cucumbers, finely cubed
• 2 cloves pressed garlic
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp salt

Mix garlic, cucumbers and olive oil. Let stand.

Bring water to a boil, add salt, and cornstarch mixed to a smooth paste with 3 tablespoons of cold water. Stir until thick and smooth.

Pour cornstarch mixture over cucumbers. Cool, and slowly add the cream, stirring constantly. Chill overnight and serve ice-cold.

• 4 cups chicken consommé (soup packets dissolved in water)
• 2 cloves of garlic, pressed
• 1 small white onion, grated
• 1 large ripe tomato, peeled and seeds removed
• 1 cucumber, peeled and seeded
• ½ sweet red pepper, seeds removed
• 4 T cooked rice
• 2 T olive oil

Dice tomato, cucumber and red pepper; combine all the ingredients, mix thoroughly and chill overnight.

12 Cherrystone clams
3 shallots
2 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
1 cup heavy whipped cream

Place scrubbed clams in a deep sauce pot, sprinkle with olive oil, add water, parsley and minced shallots. Steam the clams open over a medium flame (10-15 minutes), while whipping the cream. Then strain the clam broth into 4 cups, add three shelled clams to each serving, top with a generous tablespoon of the whipped cream, dusted with paprika.

Cold soups are for warm evenings, to be followed by an omelet, salad, fresh fruit and coffee.

All cold soups are two-step cookery, of course, since they require time to chill.