Fruit soups are popular throughout Eastern Europe, the Baltic States and Scandinavia. A cold soup made with stone fruits is a delicious seasonal treat and very refreshing on a hot day. I serve one most years as part of our Christmas lunch.
Pears, rhubarb and all types of berries can be used in this recipe and it may be pureed or not. Fruit soups are usually eaten cold at the beginning of a meal and are wonderful served with sour cream or Greek yoghurt.
A fruit soup can also be served as a special dessert. Add fresh fruits such as sliced peaches, pitted cherries, strawberries, blueberries and raspberries to the pureed soup. Serve chilled with crème fraiche or ice-cream.
Photography by Sophie Harper
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 1 kg stone fruits: cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums
- 1 orange, grated zest and juice
- juice from half a lemon
- 2 cinnamon quills
- 1 cup white wine, preferably Riesling
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1-2 cups water
- 3 tsp arrowroot or potato flour
- sour cream or Greek yoghurt to serve
Method
- Pit the cherries and remove the stones from the larger fruit. There is no need to peel the fruit, just cut roughly into pieces.
- Combine the fruit, orange zest and juice, lemon juice, cinnamon quills, white wine and sugar in a saucepan and add a cup of water. Partly cover and simmer for 10 minutes until the fruit is cooked.
- Remove the cinnamon quills and set aside. Puree the fruit soup and then reheat with the cinnamon quills.
- Slake the arrowroot or potato flour with a little water and stir into the soup and continue stirring as it comes to the boil and thickens. Add more water now if it is too thick. Take off the heat.
- Taste the soup and balance the flavour with more sugar or lemon juice if needed. It should be a little tart, although less so if being served as dessert. Chill well.
- Taste the soup again before serving and adjust. Discard the cinnamon quills. Serve cold in small bowls with a spoonful of sour cream or Greek yoghurt. Garnish with a slice of fresh fruit if you wish.
Variations:
A single fruit soup made with cherries, apricots or plums is also very nice. If using red fruits or berries replace half a cup of the white wine with a light red wine, ideally Pinot Noir. Other flavourings that can be used are lemon zest, cloves, nutmeg or ginger. The soup can be served as dessert with fresh fruit, see introduction.
