Mostly Cherry Fruit Soup With Shortbread Croutons Recipes

CHERRY SOUP

Steps:

• In a large heavy saucepan, stir together all the ingredients EXCEPT the cherries.
• Over medium heat, stir until thickened & smooth.
• Stir in cherries & cook for 1 minute.
• Pour into serving bowl, then cover & chill.
• Discard cinnamon stick before serving.

TART CHERRY SOUP

Steps:

• Pit the cherries. Put them in a saucepan with the water and sugar and stir. Bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar.
• Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill overnight.
• Spoon some of the soup into a small glass or bowl. Top with a scoop of frozen yogurt and garnish with a tuile. Repeat for each serving.
• You can certainly buy frozen yogurt. And instead of making the tuiles, garnish with toasted sesame seeds or crumble some great halvah over the top.

MOSTLY CHERRY FRUIT SOUP WITH SHORTBREAD 'CROUTONS'

Steps:

• To make the soup, bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the peach and boil for 1 minute. Place immediately in a bowl of cold water to refresh, and slip off the skin. Halve and pit the peach and cut it into 1/2-inch pieces. Set aside.
• Place the wine, water, sugar and lemon juice in a large saucepan over medium heat. Tie the lemon zest, bay leaf, thyme and cinnamon stick together with a string and add to the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat so the liquid simmers and add the peach, plums and cherries. Simmer until the fruit is tender, about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the spices.
• Place 1 cup of the soup in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Stir the mixture back into the soup. Refrigerate until cold.
• To make the croutons, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift the flour, sugar, cornstarch and salt together into a medium-size bowl. Rub in the butter. Add the almond extract and use your hands to gently work the mixture until it comes together to form a dough. Butter an 8-inch baking pan. Place the dough in the pan, lightly flour fingertips and press dough into the pan in an even layer. Bake until the dough is very lightly browned, about 15 to 20 minutes. While the shortbread is still warm, cut it into 1-inch squares. Let cool.
• To serve, ladle the soup among 4 bowls. Just before serving, garnish each bowl with shortbread croutons.