Chilled Blueberry Soup

Blueberries are in season in Sonoma County and when the weather is hot, as it has been for at least a week, cool blueberry soup is a welcome relief. Make it in the morning, when it is cool, and it will be perfectly chilled for dinner. Use traditional burrata, pictured below, if you can find it and if you can't use mozzarella fresca.

Burrata Burrata

Ingredients

  • 4 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed
  • 1 cardamom pod, lightly crushed
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 5 white peppercorns
  • Kosher salt
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 cup dry red wine
  • 8 ounces burrata
  • White pepper in a mill
  • 10 to 12 very fresh mint leaves or very fresh basil leaves, cut into thin julienne

Directions

  1. Put the blueberries, cardamom, cloves, peppercorns, a generous pinch of salt, lemon zest and wine in a nonreactive saucepan, add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil over medium heat.

  2. Simmer gently until the berries are softened, about 5 to 7 minutes. Cover the pan, remove from the heat and let steep for 30 minutes.

  3. Pass the soup through a food mill or fine sieve into a clean bowl; discard the spices that are left behind.

  4. Taste the puree and if it is flat or too tart, return it to a clean saucepan set over low heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons of sugar; taste and remove from the heat if balanced. If it is still flat or tart, continue to add sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, and stir until the sugar dissolves. When the flavor of the blueberries has blossomed fully, remove the pan from the heat. (If the soup is flavorful enough without sugar, simply skip this step.)

  5. Transfer the soup to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or until thoroughly chilled.

  6. To serve, ladle into soup plates. Cut the burrata into four pieces and add to the soup, setting it in the middle of the plate. Season with a little salt and a turn or two or white pepper, scatter the mint or basil over the top and enjoy right away.

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