Guest Blogger and Elmwood Inn

Note : I'm excited to share with you a guest blogger today! I've decided to liven things up by sharing the voices of some of my fantastic friends. My first guest blogger is Amanda, who fed me the delicious strawberry soup (recipe below). Enjoy this post!

Elmwood Inn

by guest blogger, Amanda

Photo courtesy of Elmwood Inn website

Stephanie has invited me to be a guest blogger here at Steph's Cup of Tea and I couldn't be more delighted! I always look forward to seeing what new tea information, flower and garden photos, or bits of inspiration she has to share with us. One of her latest posts, Afternoon Pleasures, featured photos from the tea that she and I shared in my home recently. She tells me that the photo of strawberry soup has generated some interest in the recipe.

The recipe comes from The Tea Table: Soups, Savories & Sweets from the Elmwood Inn, one in a series of tea cookbooks written by Shelley and Bruce Richardson. If you are a tea lover, or enjoy cookbooks in general, I highly recommend purchasing your own copies of the Elmwood Inn cookbook trilogy, as the pictures alone are quite worth the price. Also included are recipes for blueberry and melon soups, along with a photo of all three. For those of you only interested in the strawberry soup recipe, I have obtained permission from Elmwood Inn to share, and the recipe follows.

Bruce and Shelley Richardson owned and operated Elmwood Inn tea room in Perryville, Kentucky for 14 years. Stephanie and I have both lamented our loss in not having visited Elmwood Inn before they closed their doors in 2004. Bruce Richardson has become a renowned expert in the world of tea and has had a hand in ushering in the American tea renaissance. A list of all of the Richardsons' books, as well as their line of fine teas may be found on their website. Elmwood Inn Gunpowder Green is one of my favorites! Incidentally, for anyone who may be interested, the historic Elmwood Inn property, along with the nearby owner's cottage, is currently on the market.

Thank you to Stephanie, and her readers, for allowing me to contribute to such a charming blog. And thank you to Elmwood Inn for allowing me to share this delicious recipe. Cheers!

Strawberry Soup

1 cup fresh strawberries

2 tablespoons sugar

1 cup sour cream

4 tablespoons burgundy or grenadine (I used grenadine)

1 cup heavy cream

Combine strawberries, sugar, sour cream, grenadine, and cream in a blender. Cover and blend on low speed until thoroughly combined. Chill and serve. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream, thinly sliced strawberries, and fresh mint.