Chilled summer fruit soup with pistachio and meringues

Fruit soups are a Middle European favourite. In Austria and Hungary they serve cherry soup as a starter, the sweetness of the ripe cherries being offset by lemon juice and soured cream. Of course there is no reason why such soups should not serve as puddings, but some texture other than that of the soup itself is called for if the dish is to be a real success. This can be a scattering of soft red fruit on the soup itself or some crisp biscuit accompaniment - macaroons or shortbread perhaps.