Chilled Summer Soups with garnishes

[sylvie]

I am experimenting making chilled summer soups. They are so easy and the garnishes are unlimited!
I just read a recipe for chilled honeydew melon soup with mint granita, which got me thinking about other granita garnish possibilities. I will be trying granita made from my red Bee Balm (monarda) which is just beginning to bloom. Maybe lavender flower, and pineapple sage.

The soup is simply melon cut into chunks and pureed, sweetened
if needed. Pour into bowls and chill.

Granitas are so easy:
1 c superfine sugar
1 large bunch herbs like mint
1 1/4 c water
1 tbsp lemon juice--not sure if I want this with my citrusy Bee Balm

Put sugar, herbs, water into pan heating till sugar dissolved, then bring to boil, remove to cool. When cold squeeze herbs and toss except a few which you add back and puree. Add lemon juice, pour into container and freeze till firm. Allow granita to soften a little, beat with fork to break up or gently in processor because you want to see ice crystals. Top the soup with the granita.

I'm not a fan of sugar and will be trying out other ingredients that won't over power or fight with the delicate herbs, maybe Stevia. I'll post how the Bee Balm granita turned out.

Does anyone have chilled soup ideas or garnishes to see us through the hot summer weather?

 

[keljonma]

We used to eat a number of cold fruit soups in the summer. But here is one summer chilled soup my mom used to make often, as my grandmother had a cherry tree orchard. Maybe you could adjust the ingredients to meet your needs.

Hungarian Sour Cherry Soup

1 1/2 qts water
3 T flour
1 c sour cream
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1# fresh or frozen pitted sour cherries (Do not use canned)
3/4 cup granulated sugar

Put into a soup pot 1 1/2 quarts of boiling water and add sour cherries. Stir in sugar. Stir and cook.

In a separate bowl mix flour, sour cream, salt and beat until smooth.

Add to flour mix 1 cup of hot cherry sugar mix. Stir vigorously.

Now add the flour, sour cream and hot cherry mix into the pot of hot soup, stir well and simmer for 5 or 6 minutes until it thickens.

Cover the soup and let cool. Keep cover on while it chills in refrigerator and it will not form a thick skin.

Serve very cold.

To make this Cherry Soup with Sweet Cream:
Use sweet fresh or frozen cherries instead of sour cherries.
Add 1 cinnamon stick to cook with cherries, remove before cooling.
Substitute sweet cream for sour cream.

 

[big brown horse]

Yum keljonma! Sylvie, that sounds so delicious too!

Here is one I stumbled across in a mag

Red Pepper-Cauliflower Soup 6 servings cook time: 1 hour

6 large red bell peppers, stemmed and cored halved lengthwise and pressed flat
1 T olive oil
4 shallots, peeled and chopped
1 t salt
1/4 t cayenne
1 quart chicken broth
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 t sugar (or sweetener of choice)
Freshly ground pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil, chopped fresh chives and lemon wedges (optional)

1. Preheat broiler to high. Arrange bell peppers skin side up on baking sheet. broil, watching carefully, until skins are blackened, about 10 min. Remove peppers and let them cool. Peel them over a bowl to collect juices; set peppers and juice aside.

2. In a large pot over med.-high heat, warm olive oil. Add shallots, salt and cayenne and cook, stiffing until soft, about 3 min. Add broth and cauliflower. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. Cover and cook 20 minutes. Add peppers with juices and cook covered until cauliflower is tender, 10 min. Puree in batches in a blender and add sugar (or sweetener of choice). Add pepper to taste.

3. Serve cold (or hot too) garnished with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, some chives, and a squeeze of lemon juice if you like.

 

[keljonma]

Not soups, but you mentioned granitas in your op, sylvie. I thought you might be able to adjust these recipes that I saw in the July 2009 issue of The Herb Companion.

Rosemary, Lavender, Ginger Granita
Serves 8

1 c sugar
3 c water
2 rosemary sprigs, about 3 inches long
2 tsp lavender buds, fresh or dried
1 T fresh ginger, chopped
1/4 c fresh lemon juice
1 c sparkling wine (optional)

Bring sugar and water to a boil in small saucepan. Drop in rosemary, lavender and ginger. Cover pan and remove from heat. Steep for 15 minutes. Strain syrup into a stainless steel bowl. Chill.

Stir in lemon juice and wine, if using. Put the bowl in the freezer and stir every 30 minutes to 1 hour until slushy.

Freeze granita completely. When ready to serve, scrape granita with side of a large metal spoon to break up ice crystals.


Honeydew Melon and Tarragon Sorbet
Serves 8

1/4 c tarragon leaves, stems removed
1 c fine sugar (also known as baker's sugar)
1/2 c water
1/4 c fresh lemon juice
3 c very ripe honeydew melon flesh

Puree tarragon leaves, sugar, water and lemon juice in blender on high speed. Add melon and blend until you have a smooth liquid.

Freeze immediately in an ice cream maker until slushy-firm. Scoop into storage container and freeze until firm enough to scoop.


Strawberry-Rose Geranium Sorbet
Serves 8

3/4 c sugar
3/4 c water
8 medium-sized rose geranium leaves
4 c ripe strawberries, washed and hulled
1 T fresh lemon juice

Bring sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan.
Drop in rose geranium leaves, cover pan, and remove it from heat. After 15 minutes, strain syrup, pushing down on leaves to extract flavor.

Puree strawberries with syrup and lemon juice in blender or food processor. Freeze in ice cream maker until slushy-firm. Scoop into storage container and freeze until firm enough to scoop.


Lemon Verbena Yogurt Sherbet
Serves 8

2 c lemon verbena leaves, lightly packed
1 1/2 c fine sugar (also known as baker's sugar)
1 1/2 c water
2 c whole-milk yogurt
1 1/2 T fresh lemon juice

Puree lemon verbena, sugar and water in blender on high speed.

Whisk together yogurt and lemon juice in a mixing bowl.

Strain lemon verbena syrup through a fine sieve into yogurt; whisk until smooth. Freeze immediately in ice cream maker until slushy-firm. Scoop into storage container and freeze until firm enough to scoop.


Basil- Lime Sorbet
Serves 8

3 1/4 c water
2 c basil leaves, gently packed
1 c fine sugar (also known as baker's sugar)
1/4 c fresh lime juice

Bring water to a boil in small saucepan. Add basil leaves; cook 10 seconds. Drain and plunge basil into cold water. Drain again.

Puree sugar, water, lime juice and blanched basil leaves in blender on high speed for about 1 minute, or until you have a smooth, bright green liquid. Pour through fine-meshed strainer.

Freeze immediately in an ice cream maker until slushy-firm. Scoop into a storage container and freeze until firm enough to scoop.

NOTES FOR ALL RECIPES:

You can use regular granulated sugar in these recipes. However, baker's sugar is recommended because it will dissolve faster in the syrup without heat.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that the recipes must be balanced between sweet and tart.

Too much sugar will result in a product that is too soft. Too little sugar will make it too icy.

These recipes are from Jerry Traunfeld, author of the book, The Herbal Kitchen.

 

[freemotion]

And my favorite, no sugar, great for a quick supper with a burger....

GAZPACHO (SALAD SOUP)

1.5 lbs fresh tomatoes (or 1 28 oz can crushed)
1 European cuke or 2 regular cukes, with skin
1 cups carrot chunks
red or green pepper
cup onion (scallions optional)
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 Tbs lemon or lime juice
Fresh basil leaves, or 2 tsp dried basil
tsp oregano
2 Tbsp parsley
One head of Romaine lettuce, optional
salt and pepper to taste
dash of red pepper or Tabasco, optional
Vinegar to taste (cider, white, balsamic, etc.)

In a food processor, chop the tomatoes (if using canned crushed tomatoes, add after chopping other veggies), cukes, carrots, peppers, onion, garlic until the size of rice, or finer if desired. You may have to process them in batches if your processor is small. Put into a medium to large serving bowl, and chill 2 hours or overnight. Taste and add more seasoning if desired.

If using canned tomatoes, you may want to use more spices and make it hotter to disguise the canned taste.

TIP: Use frozen chopped onion and garlic from a jar. Use pesto instead of basil and garlic. Freeze washed fresh basil leaves, rolled loosely in wax paper and placed in a Ziploc freezer bag, for fresh basil taste year round.

 

[Mattemma]

We used to eat a number of cold fruit soups in the summer. But here is one summer chilled soup my mom used to make often, as my grandmother had a cherry tree orchard. Maybe you could adjust the ingredients to meet your needs.

Hungarian Sour Cherry Soup

.

I followed your link from the lemon verbana,and my first thought for cold summer soup was a cherry one I had as a kid in Hungary. Thanks for the recipe!!!!! I am going to make this for my mom one day when she visits. I really need to plant some hungarian cherry trees.

 

[abifae]

I'm fascinated. I'll try some of these.

 

[sunsaver]

Thanks for these recipes! Im really into chilled foods and soups. Living off-grid with no air-conditioning makes it difficult to eat hot meals when its 103*F and high humidity. A cold soup will feed me, keep me cool, and help hydrate me all at the same time.