Cold Mulberry Soup With Ginger Yogurt
By: Sanura Weathers
Published: Tuesday, June 29, 2010 - 9:20pm

Ingredients




2 cups mulberries
2 cups water
3 tablespoons of Elderberry liqueur
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pinch a tiny of salt
 cup fresh mint, finely chopped
Garnish: Ginger Yogurt*

Preparation

1 Over medium heat, place mulberries, water, elderberry liqueur, sugar, vanilla and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer, and allow soup to slightly thicken. About 10 minutes. 2 Turn off the heat and add the mint. Let the berries steep for 30 minutes. 3 Place the berries and liquid into a blender. Puree until smooth. 4 Strain soup through a fine-mesh strainer. Discard solids. Place soup in the refrigerator to chill, at least 1 hour. 5 Garnish with a dollop of Ginger Yogurt. 6 NOTE 7 To make the Ginger Yogurt: mix 3 to 5 tbsp. Greek yogurt; the juice of half a lemon; and 1 to 3 tbsp. fresh grated ginger. Chill until ready to serve.

About


Melissa Danielle of the blog, "Honeybee Holistic," sent a twitter request asking to swap my lemon balm for mulberries. Of course, I agreed to the swap, and we met outside of a subway station. Mulberry is a berry originally from Asia. White and red versions are found in North America, too. Prior to the swap, I can’t recall ever tasting the fruit. Maybe, somebody’s homemade liqueur has given me a taste. They’re not quite as tart, nor do they have the same sweetness as blackberries. I was curious about what type of dish to make with the mulberries. Sweets are easy to make, but a friend suggested a savory dish. A cold soup was the answer, and it’s perfect for a robust summer day. The soup is bursting of fresh flavors from the mulberries, vanilla, mint and the elderberry liqueur. The ginger yogurt is a sassy dollop of tang. The bonus: There’s little sugar in this soup, and it’s a healthier dessert or appetizer to a main course. NOTE: Recipe adapted from “The Swedish Table” by Helene Henderson.