Chilled Plum Soup
4 CommentsRecipes are hard to predict. I don't mean the results. Maybe that, too. I mean something about predicting the recipes that'll take, that people will take to. Bruce and I develop our recipes in our own kitchen. Sure, they get sent out to testers occasionally. But mostly, we're making food we think tastes good. And taste is just a tad subjective.
What's more, no fire is as hot as public opinion. We get a book finished, take it out on the road--and then discover what people really think.
Apparently, they really like this chilled plum soup from COOKING KNOW-HOW. We've made it at several demos now. I caught one guy at Delia, the Viking cooking school in Wallingford, Connecticut, trying to lick his bowl when he thought no one was looking.
So I thought I'd make the soup for a dinner party on Saturday night. The meal was a pork affair: the jowl in carbonara, the ham in tamales, the smoked shoulder for a main course. Somehow, this plum soup seemed to fit the bill between the courses.
Couldn't be easier, too. Simmer the fruit in water and spices, puree until smooth,and add the enhancers. These techniques are spelled out in more detail in the book so that you can figure out how to make all sorts of chilled fruit soups, a perfect start to summer. (Apricot with thyme is another favorite.)
OK, I put 2 pounds halved and seeded plums, 4 cups water, 1 cinnamon stick, 4 whole cloves, and 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg in a large saucepan, then brought it to a simmer over high heat. I reduced the heat, covered the pan, and simmered the soup until the plums were so soft they could be mashed with a spoon, about 20 minutes. (It can take less time if the plums are softer. These were golfballs.)
One note: I hate fishing spices out of a pot. Something about it drives me nuts.
So I put the cloves in an individual tea strainer and dropped it in the saucepan. That way, I could just pull the whole thing out at the end.
Once the plums were soft, I fished them out with a large strainer and dropped them in a blender. Then I pulled out the cinnamon stick (that one, no problem) and the strainer with the cloves. I brought the remaining liquid in the saucepan to a full boil over high heat and let it reduce until it was about half its volume, about 7 minutes.
I set the pan off the heat for a couple minutes, then I poured the hot liquid into the blender, added 1/2 cup sugar, and pureed the whole thing until smooth.
As you probably know, hot things in blenders can spew. (Wow, does that sound nasty!) To prevent that offense, I removed the center knob on the cover, then laid a folded cloth kitchen towel over the top. That way, the blender can breathe (that is, pressure won't build up from the high heat) and the thing won't erupt all over the counter.
Once the mixture was smooth, I added 1/2 cup non-fat plain yogurt and gave it another spin.
The end.
Although I should add this: the recipe in the book calls for adding 1/2 cup red wine as well with the yogurt. But we had someone at the table who doesn't drink, so I just left it out.
I took the canister off the blender, covered it, and put it in the fridge to chill all day. I poured the sweet, luscious soup into these little glasses and we were good to go (in this case, between the tamales and the smoked shoulder).
Let's just say this: I saw something happen again. No licking, but one guest took a sip--and his eyes got really wide. I love that. It's addictive. You could even say it makes a career. Either that or a good dinner party.
(Tomorrow on the blog: the other chilled soup from the same meal. Can summer be far away?)
Reader Comments (4)
I just made this soup and although it is still warm, it is YUMMY! However, something really funny happened - I could not find the cinnamon sticks. Is it possible they went so soft that I ground them and can't even notice?
Lisa: I'd say more than possible. In fact, probable. You might want to strain the whole thing through a fine-mesh sieve. Those bits of cinnamon sticks can prove hard on the teeth and gums. But I'm glad it tastes good!
M.
The flavor was more intense the next day with leftovers. Therefore, next time around I am going to let it simmer for at least an hour for more flavor prior to serving.
Thanks for sharing the recipes. Congratulations for the blog.