Monday, August 11, 2008

Chilled Berry Soup With Honey & Basil

I picked up some soup ideas from an NPR article on cold summer soups the other day and decided to go ahead and try out the berry soup. As the article points out, this soup is a light and refreshing addition to a warm summer evening. Sipping this soup on the deck the other night might be one of the highlights of the season so far. I made a few alterations to the recipe. The addition of basil actually works well with the honey and vanilla. It actually gives the soup a sort of flowery flavor, which I really enjoy. The soup is extremely easy to make, as well, taking all of 5 minutes. It's also affordable and healthy, coming in at around a buck and less than 200 calories per serving.

Makes 4 servings.

3 cups fresh or frozen berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries)
1 cup unsweetened cranberry juice
1 cup yogurt (I prefer whole milk)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. honey (or to taste)
juice from 1/2 lemon
basil (for garnish)

Blend the berries and cranberry juice in a blender. You might need to add a little bit of warm water to get it thin enough to strain. Strain this mixture through a sieve to remove the seeds. Pour the strained liquid back into the blender with the rest of the ingredients: yogurt, vanilla, honey, and lemon. You can add the honey slowly until you achieve the sweetness you want. Just chill in the refrigerator for a few hours, or if you used frozen berries, the soup is generally cold enough to go ahead and eat. I like garnishing with basil, yogurt, and blueberries with a drizzle of honey on top.

-Taylor

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