Chilled soups are the perfect food to eat in the summer's warm weather. You can make this up three days in advance and refrigerate until ready to serve. Cold soups can be a prelude to a lovely meal or a satisfying companion to a favorite sandwich.

Vichyssoise - pureed, cooked vegetable soup - is traditionally served chilled. "Vish-ee-swaz," as it is pronounced, usually includes potatoes, leeks and cream. In this lighter version, I substituted chicken broth for the cream. Fresh watercress and basil update this classic summer soup, and a finishing dollop of lemon-basil cream gives it a bright, appealing look. If you want a dairy-free version, just garnish with shredded basil instead of the lemon cream. Remember to season the soup just before serving, since the flavors become muted when cold.

Here are some sandwich combinations to get your creativity going:

Cold, marinated, sliced flank steak and arugula leaves on sourdough rolls spread with spicy mayonnaise.

Prosciutto, tomatoes, roasted peppers spread with garlic mayonnaise on sesame seed bread.

Chopped smoked salmon and egg salad on rye bread.

Cold, grilled chicken slices, sliced avocado and tomato salsa stuffed in a warm sesame pita bread.

Crumbled goat cheese, marinated sun-dried tomatoes and roasted red and yellow peppers on a sourdough roll spread with garlic mayonnaise

Watercress Basil Vichyssoise with Lemon Cream

Serves 6 to 8

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