Photo Courtesy of Patrick and Penny Matthews
When President Reagan visited the Del, the menu looked delicious:
Chilled Avocado Soup with Caviar Dot**
Hearts of Palm Salad with Herb Vinagraitte Dressing
Medallions of Alaskan Salmon with Del Beurre Blanc Sauce
Parisienned Potatoes
Lettuce of Green Beans
Gingered Baby Carrots
Fresh Fruit Kirsch
Almond Petit Fours
** Recipe for Chilled Avocado Soup with Caviar Dot
2 large ripe avocados
1 1/2 cups Chicken Stock
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup dry vermouth
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 medium size onion
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
4 cups iceberg lettuce
1 oz black lumpfish caviar
1 oz American red caviar
24 lemon leaves, washed and dried
1. Cut avocados in half lengthwise and remove pits. Carefully remove avocado from shells and dice. Leave enough avocado adhering to shell to form a cup. Cut a thin slice from the bottom of the shells if necessary to stabilize them.
2. In a blender or food processor, combine diced avacado, chicken stock, sour cream, vermouth, lemon jice, lime juice, and onion. Puree. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. If soup is too thick, add additional stock.
3. Cover and refrigerate for about 3 hours.
To Assemble:
1. Place 1 cup shredded lettuce on each of four salad plates. Set avacado shells on top of lettuce and pour chilled soup into avocado shells.
2. Float a dot of black lumpfish caviar and a dot of American red caviar in center of soup.
3. Place 6 lemon leaves around each avocado shell.
Serves 4.
Excerpted from The Hotel Del Coronado Cookbook by Beverly Bass available at Amazon:
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