{"id":15648,"date":"2014-07-04T22:24:21","date_gmt":"2014-07-05T05:24:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pcgirl.net\/recipes\/?p=15648"},"modified":"2016-06-25T01:06:39","modified_gmt":"2016-06-25T08:06:39","slug":"soup-toppers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pcgirl.net\/recipes\/?p=15648","title":{"rendered":"Soup Toppers"},"content":{"rendered":"

1\"Soup-Toppings_V_W\"<\/a>. Chopped Nuts or Seeds
\n2. Crostini, croutons and other crunchy things. Go beyond the ordinary. Try an olive and goat cheese toast, a parmesan crisp, or crumbled cheese crackers. Crisp tortilla strips can work in more than just tortilla soup. Try cutting shapes from a flour tortilla and frying them in vegetable oil until crisp. Season your croutons in interesting ways \u00e2\u20ac\u201c coconut curry for instance.
\n3. Minced Fresh Herbs \u00e2\u20ac\u201c break away from parsley. Try fennel fronds, cilantro, rosemary or thyme. Minced scallion or chives add a light onion flavor.
\n4. Cheese — Try a crumbled queso fresco, a shake of parmesan, or the old standby, grated cheddar.
\n5. Vegetables \u00e2\u20ac\u201c add freshly chopped vegetables to the top to echo a vegetable in the soup. Saut\u00c3\u00a9ed vegetables can be nice too, try mushroom and onion, or a colorful trio of bell pepper.
\n6. Heat \u00e2\u20ac\u201c diced jalapenos, a spicy bottled salsa, crushed red pepper flakes, a shake or two of tabasco
\n7. Velvety Creams \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Stir a flavoring into light sour cream or plain yogurt. Try citrus zest, horseradish, or lemon pepper. Apply to soup from a squeeze bottle for a pretty presentation. Place several dollops in the middle of the soup and pull a toothpick through the center to form a heart shape. For a ring of hearts, put your sour cream in a squirt bottle, squeeze small dots about 1\/4″ in from the outer edge of the soup, drag a toothpick through all the dots to form a ring of hearts. For a spider web, with the sour cream in the squeeze bottle, starting in the middle of the soup, squeeze a circle of sour cream. Then another circle around that about 1\/2″ toward the edge of the bowl. Make 4 or 5 circles, or however many you can fit. Drag a toothpick from the center toward the edge of the bowl. One inch away from that, drag the toothpick from the edge of the bowl to the center. Continue, alternating direction, until you have a spider web atop your soup.<\/p>\n

\"quicktricks_butternutsquashsoup_m\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Consider having a few crunchy options like croutons or toasted nuts (pumpkin seeds are always a favorite). I also love having sour cream, a little bowl of shredded cheese, chopped green onions and parsley, and some sort of pesto or salsa verde.<\/p>\n

Cut puff pastry into squares. Brush with egg\/water mixture and sprinkle herbs de provence over the tops. Lay pastry squares on the baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes.<\/p>\n

Garlic Butter Croutons<\/strong>
\nSaut\u00c3\u00a9 minced garlic in butter over medium-low heat for one minute. Add bread cubes. Cook and stir until toasted, about 3 to 5 minutes. Variations: Add rosemary, thyme, or\u00c2\u00a0oregano.<\/em><\/p>\n

Parmesan Crisps<\/strong>
\nPlace tablespoon-size mounds of grated Parmesan cheese 2 inches apart on a lined baking sheet. Bake at 350\u00c2\u00b0 F for about 6 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool to firm up before removing. Variations: Add minced herbs to cheese before baking.<\/em><\/p>\n

Cinnamon Sugar Tortilla Stars<\/strong>
\nUse mini cookie cutters to cut shapes out of flour or corn tortillas. Toss with oil or butter and cinnamon sugar. Bake at 375\u00c2\u00b0 F for 10 minutes. Variations: Go savory\u00c2\u00a0with cumin or\u00c2\u00a0smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.<\/em><\/p>\n

Toasted Sweet Potato Strips<\/strong>
\nUse a vegetable peeler to make thin strips. Toss with oil or butter, and season with salt and pepper. Bake at 375\u00c2\u00b0 F for 10\u00c2\u00a0minutes, or until lightly crunchy. Variations: Season with cayenne, curry powder, or cinnamon sugar.\u00c2\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

More Quick Ideas for\u00c2\u00a0Great Garnishes<\/h3>\n