By Ben Miller Hi there. Since I'm not on Ezra's list of official guestbloggers, I thought I'd take a minute to introduce myself. In my day job, I research and write about education policy for the New America Foundation, a "post-partisan" think tank in Washington, D.C., where I contribute to Higher Ed Watch, a policy blog on college access, quality , and affordability. Don't worry, I'm not here to subject you to long treatises about federal student loan interest rates (though if you have any questions, post them in the comments and I'll be happy to answer them). Instead, for the next week I'll be taking over for Ezra as a guest food blogger. With that being said, please excuse the long introduction and on to the fun stuff. Cold Summer Soups When I'm picking out dishes I want to make, I often look for something that includes unexpected flavor pairings or presents ingredients in a way you wouldn't normally expect. Therefore, when I saw this recipe on Mark Bittman's blog for savory cold mango soup, my interest was piqued. I've had mango as parts of savory dishes before, often as an ingredient in a salsa, but was curious how it would work out as the lead component of a pre-entree soup. The answer, unfortunately, is not very well. I found that the flavors were totally dominated by the chili powder in the dish, leaving the mango as just a hint at the end. The texture also left something to be desired--it was in between a tomato bisque and something broth-based. More after the jump.
