Best Mostly Cherry Fruit Soup With Shortbread Croutons Recipes

CHILLED SOUR-CHERRY SOUP

Steps:

• Pass cherries through a food mill to extract all juices; or purée in a food processor and strain through a medium-mesh sieve, skimming surface of any foam. (Discard pulp, or reserve for another use.) Sprinkle garlic with 3/4 teaspoon salt, then mash into a very fine paste with the side of a knife. Stir into cherry purée.
• Refrigerate, covered, until very cold, at least 1 hour. (Purée can be made to this point and refrigerated up to 8 hours.) Stir chopped cilantro and dill into soup and season with salt; refrigerate 30 minutes more.
• Divide soup among 4 to 6 small bowls, and top each with cucumber, scallions, and herb sprigs. Serve with sour cream on the side.

MOSTLY CHERRY FRUIT SOUP WITH SHORTBREAD 'CROUTONS'

Steps:

• To make the soup, bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the peach and boil for 1 minute. Place immediately in a bowl of cold water to refresh, and slip off the skin. Halve and pit the peach and cut it into 1/2-inch pieces. Set aside.
• Place the wine, water, sugar and lemon juice in a large saucepan over medium heat. Tie the lemon zest, bay leaf, thyme and cinnamon stick together with a string and add to the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat so the liquid simmers and add the peach, plums and cherries. Simmer until the fruit is tender, about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the spices.
• Place 1 cup of the soup in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Stir the mixture back into the soup. Refrigerate until cold.
• To make the croutons, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift the flour, sugar, cornstarch and salt together into a medium-size bowl. Rub in the butter. Add the almond extract and use your hands to gently work the mixture until it comes together to form a dough. Butter an 8-inch baking pan. Place the dough in the pan, lightly flour fingertips and press dough into the pan in an even layer. Bake until the dough is very lightly browned, about 15 to 20 minutes. While the shortbread is still warm, cut it into 1-inch squares. Let cool.
• To serve, ladle the soup among 4 bowls. Just before serving, garnish each bowl with shortbread croutons.

SUGARY CHOCOLATE-CHERRY SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F. Line 8-inch square pan with foil, leaving foil overhanging at 2 opposite sides of pan. Grease foil with shortening; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon granulated sugar.
• In large bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy; add powdered sugar, beating well. In medium bowl, mix flour and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips, cherries and vanilla. Press dough into pan.
• Bake 40 minutes or until golden. Cool in pan 30 minutes or until slightly warm. Use foil to gently lift shortbread out of pan. With sharp knife, cut into 8 rows by 8 rows. Dip shortbread squares in 1/2 cup granulated sugar.

CHERRY SHORTBREAD HEARTS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Sift the icing sugar, flour and cornflour together into a bowl. Stir in the ground almonds and butter, then rub in the butter until smooth. Stir in the chopped glacé cherries and almond extract, and bring together to form a dough.
• Roll out on a lightly floured surface, then stamp out biscuits using a heartshaped cutter. Keep re-rolling the trimmings until all the dough is used. Carefully transfer the biscuits to baking trays lined with parchment and bake for just 8-10 mins until just pale golden.
• Using an upturned bottle top or similar, press gently into the centre of each biscuit to make a round indent. Spoon in a little jam and return to the oven for 2 mins. Remove and cool on a wire rack, before dusting with icing sugar to serve.

COLD CHERRY SOUP

Steps:

• Pit the cherries, and place the pitted cherries in a bowl and the pits in a large soup pot. Add the water to the pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer five minutes. With a skimmer, remove the pits from the water. Add the sugar, red wine, salt and lemon zest, and bring back to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil five minutes, then add the cherries. Bring to a simmer, turn the heat to low, cover and simmer five minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Place the yogurt in a large bowl and slowly whisk in a cup of the liquid from the soup once it is no longer simmering. Whisk until the mixture is smooth. Slowly add the rest of the soup, and whisk or stir until smooth. Allow to cool, stirring from time to time, then refrigerate until cold. Before serving, you will have to stir or whisk again, as the liquid and yogurt will separate. Still, the soup is easily homogenized.
• Serve in bowls or in glass tumblers. If you wish, garnish with additional halved, pitted fresh cherries.