Paisley-Patterned Summer Soup
July 17th, 2009 | Published in Fruit Recipes, Soup and Stew Recipes
This beautiful cold fruit soup can be prepared and put into the refrigerator up to a day before you serve it. Yeah! I think it’s delicious on a warm summer night to precede a simple grilled supper. Sometimes, I’ll serve it to company for dessert, too. Between the white wine in the cantaloupe soup, and the rosé in the strawberry, it definitely lends a festive note to a gathering! There just couldn’t be a better use of a wonderful Honey Rock organic cantaloupe or your own crop of strawberries.
As options: the Cantaloupe Cocktail and Strawberry Ginger Cream components could be served individually and you could replace the cantaloupe with whichever melon is sweetest at your market. The French Charentais, while a little hard to find, is my absolute favorite!
Summer Soup Recipe
Makes 6 to 8 servings
CANTALOUPE COCKTAIL
- 2 cups chopped cantaloupe
- 1 cup chopped fresh peaches
- 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons Amaretto
STRAWBERRY GINGER CREAM
- 2 cups cleaned fresh strawberries (about 1 pound)
- 1/2 cups rosé, Zinfandel, or other light-bodied red wine
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Triple Sec or Grand Marnier
- 1/2 cup whipping cream (or plain yogurt)
GARNISH
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- Strawberries
TO MAKE THE CANTALOUPE COCKTAIL:
- Puree all of the ingredients in a blender and chill.
- Puree the strawberries, wine, Triple Sec/Grand Marnier, and whipping cream in a blender. Stir in the black pepper and chill.
- Stir 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger into 1 cup of whipping cream and set aside.
- Pour 1/3 cup of the Strawberry Ginger Cream into each bowl. Artistically drizzle 1/2 cup of the Cantaloupe Cocktail across the Strawberry Ginger Cream. Use a knife to draw the Cantaloupe Cocktail into feathery patterns. Garnish with a fanned strawberry and a dollop of the ginger-whipped cream.
