First, come with me on a strawberry picking adventure…
Chilled soups: They linger like loiterers, typed upon dog-eared menus in questionable restaurants.
Surely this cannot be true?
When I first saw a similar recipe in Kurma Dasa’s Great Vegetarian Dishes, I thought to myself, ‘how is a chilled soup any different to umm… Fruit juice?!’ I hear echoes of you asking me the same question.
So, this distinction is imperative to our exploration of chilled fruit soups- which, by the way, are refreshing and delicious. It’s not that I’m biased or anything. Our fruit soup is sweet, but not fruit juice sweet, smoothie sweet or even preserve sweet. That would be sacrilege. It is slightly sweet, made silky smooth with cornflour, and finished on a slightly savoury note with a pat of creamy salted butter whisked in for a quick gloss. Not a drop of juice in sight.
Still not convinced? Try it yourself and find out. Do it for me, poor Sanjana who went strawberry picking in the sweltering heat to provide you with a Chilled Sunshine Berry Soup to quench your parched tongues. I love guilt-tripping for all good reasons.
Mouth watering yet?
Also, while technically this isn’t a barbecued dish (why would it be?) it is the perfect starter or light dessert to any Summer BBQ. FYI, I love loopholes like I love guilt-tripping.
Chilled Sunshine Berry Soup
(serves 4-6)
Ingredients
1kg mixed berries (I used 500g strawberries, 250g pitted cherries and 250g blackberries)- reserve a handful of each kind of berry to serve
75g granulated sugar
2 tbsp cornflour
1 litre cold water
50g butter
Method
1. Place the berries in a large pan, reserving a handful of each kind of berry to serve.
2. Add the sugar and cook on a medium heat, stirring constantly. Press the berries with the back of a wooden spoon to crush them slightly. It will take around 15-20 minutes for them to cook thoroughly.
3. Place a sieve over a large pan and strain the berry mixture through it, pressing through as much pulp as possible.
4. Mix the cornflour with the cold water and add it to the strained berry mixture.
5. Place back on the heat and whisk until slightly thickened. Whisk in 50g of butter until melted.
6. Allow to cool to room temperature and refrigerate until chilled and ready to serve.
7. Serve in a deep bowl, adding the reserved berries for some texture and that feeling of virtuousness when you eat fruit and truly enjoy it…
kankana
Thursday 23rd of June 2011
This is so refreshing and red .. my fav color :) I really should go for berry picking sometime.... never been to one !
Sanjana
Wednesday 21st of July 2010
Aww, Vaishali that's really lovely of you to say so. I saw your biscuits on the FoodBuzz Top 9 and they looked great! Perfect for parties. Brilliant picture, too. I hope you carry on creating and enjoying taking your pictures! I know I'll enjoy seeing them! :)
Vaishali Sharma
Wednesday 21st of July 2010
Hey Sanjana
Thanks so much for your gr8 suggestions! I too started taking my pictures in natural light some time ago and they come out much better. I never use flash as well. I mostly take pics using Macro.
Recently my Jam Filled Cookies got selected in Foodbuzz Top 9. And I guess I was able to get such a gr8 pics of those cookies because of the inspiration I get from your pics! Your pics of even a simple moong daal makes everyone drool here! You are doing a fantastic job!!
Radka
Sunday 18th of July 2010
Beautiful photos, have a nice day Radka.
Sanjana
Tuesday 13th of July 2010
Thanks all :)
Vaishali- Ahh, I'm still working on the photography part :$ They're still not up to scratch. I think that if I was to give anyone advice then I'd say to always make sure there is plently of natural light coming through into the room. I started out blogging being completely clueless and taking my pictures at night when there was only artifical light. This was a big mistake. Soon I learned that natural light is the key to natural looking settings and dishes. Try to put your table next to a window :) Also, I never use a flash. I find that it makes food look a little artifical. If you're shooting in a low light environment then boost your ISO up and your F Stops lower.
Personally I like close-ups of food; that's what really makes me drool. The more detail the better. Although, this really depends on your preferences as larger scenes are also really pretty when set up in the right way. I've built up a little collection of patterned tea towels, napkins and dishes to add to my repotoire- but be really careful... This kitchenware collecting can lead to an obsession! :)
Hope that helps, like I said, I'm by no means a professional photographer... Just learning as I go along.