I love when strawberry season arrives. While I occasionally
buy organic berries at the supermarket (I feel they have the best flavor), my
favorite place to get them is at the Saturday morning downtown farmer’s market.
If you have only eaten berries from the store, please do yourself a favor and
find a freshly picked pint. It will be life-changing! When the season arrives,
I always purchase one container to eat right away and one or two extra to
freeze for later in the year.
One of my favorite strawberry recipes is this chilled
strawberry-mint soup that I first tasted at the Canterbury Shaker Village in New Hampshire . This soup is
the perfect remedy for a hot, humid summer day. I bought the strawberries,
spearmint, and honey all at the farmer’s market. A batch can be made when the
berries are fresh, and then frozen to enjoy all summer long.
Chilled Strawberry-Mint Soup
Serves 6 to 8 people
Adapted from The
Shaker Kitchen by Jeffrey S.
Paige .
This recipe needs to chill at least 8 hours before serving,
so plan ahead. Note: If using frozen strawberries, measure or weight them
first, and then allow them to thaw. Be sure to include any juice that comes
from the thawed berries into the recipe.
1 cup sugar
1 cup loosely packed spearmint leaves
2 pints (20 ounces) fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
3/4 cup honey
1 quart (32 ounces) plain yogurt
For garnish: Plain yogurt, sliced strawberries, and
spearmint leaves
Place the sugar and spearmint leaves into the bowl of a food
processor. Whiz together until the leaves are very finely minced. Add the
strawberries and honey and process until smooth.
Pour the strawberry mixture into a bowl. Add the yogurt and
whisk until smooth. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours,
or overnight. Serve cold. Garnish with a dollop of yogurt, a couple of
strawberry slices, and mint leaf. This
soup can be frozen to serve at a later date. Just allow it to unthaw in the
refrigerator before serving.
sounds really refreshing! I'd be tempted to run it through an ice cream maker and make a kind of sorbet too :)
ReplyDeleteThat is a great idea, Emma! I'll have to try it.
ReplyDelete