Easy
6 to 8
ServingsBy Jayne Cohen
Published 2008
To my grandmother, tiny, first-of-the-year strawberries were the luxury foods of her adopted country, meant to be savored slowly, open-faced on fresh corn-rye bread thickly spread with sweet butter and sprinkled with sugar. Not for her those seasonless behemoths whose hard white hearts you need an apple corer to remove.
Later on, as June warmed and local strawberries grew more plentiful and cheaper at her fruit market, Grandma would serve them with thick sour cream or heavy sweet cream, roll them in a blintz, and even, for special occasions like Shavuot, add them to an extravagant fruit soup.
This soup has several layers of flavor, derived from the tea, juice, and many kinds of fruit—fresh and dried—used in it. But it is the sweet melting strawberries that make it taste extraordinary.
Combine the tea, prunes and other dried fruit, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, and lemon zest in a large, non-reactive saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the fruit is very soft.
Add the fresh fruit, berries, and apple-cranberry juice. Bring the mixture back to a boil, then simmer until all of the fresh fruit is quite soft, about 10 minutes.
Let the mixture cool somewhat, then taste, and, if necessary, stir in more honey. Remove the vanilla bean and, if desired, rinse and dry it for another use. Discard the cinnamon and lemon zest.
Using a slotted spoon, remove about half the fruit from the saucepan, and puree it in a blender or food processor. Transfer the pureed fruit to a large bowl and whisk in the sour cream or yogurt cream. Stir in the remaining fruit and liquid from the saucepan. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.
To serve, garnish each bowl with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt cream, a berry, and a mint leaf, if desired.
© 2008 Jayne Cohen. All rights reserved.