Hungarian Cold Fruit Soup
This Chilled Dish is a Favourite in Hungary During Summer
Cold fruit soups are a firm favourite in Hungary, being one of the "summer treats" along with elder flower lemonade and home made gherkin preserves. Generally presented at the beginning of a summer meal, it can also be used as a dessert, but this is not usual in Hungary.
Spices
Most of the soups containing fruits requiring gentle simmering in spices such as cinnamon and cloves. Sometimes the soups are thickened with a little flour, and sour or sweet cream can be added after the soup has been chilled, and before serving.
Any Fruits
Any fruits can be used, or a combination of fruits, but the traditional soup for Hungary is sour cherry soup with red wine - a tangy tasty dish! You can adjust the spices and the sugar to suit your own tastes.
Quick and Easy Alternative
If you want the cold fruit soup but without the cooking, the wines and the sugars, try mixing a litre of ice cold low fat milk with one of the sugar and preservation free jam recipes. Add enough of the jam to both flavour the soup, and colour it. Mix well, and add some fresh chopped fruit of the same type as the jam to the dish. If you wish add a little sugar to taste, and decorate with cream or complementary syrup.
Sour cherry soup with red wine
Ingredients
- 600 g sour cherries - if you can't get fresh cherries, used bottled cherries
- 100 g sugar
- A small piece of a cinnamon stick or powder to taste - start with a little less than 1/2 teaspoon
- 4 cloves
- A pinch of salt
- Peel and juice of one lemon, or one teaspoon of packaged lemon peel, and a lemon concentrate
- 200 ml red wine
- 1 litre of water
- 25 g flour
- 150 ml sour cream
Method
- Wash and pit the cherries
- Put the spices in a spice bag
- Put the wine and the water into a pot
- Add the sugar, the salt, and the spice bag
- Add the cherries and cook for five minutes or until the cherries are soft
- Remove a quarter of the cherries from the pot and blitz in a blender.
- Return the puree to the pot
- Thicken the soup by stirring in the mix of sour cream and flour
- Adjust the seasonings to taste by adding more sugar necessary, some lemon juice, and additional ground cinnamon if using
- Cook for an addition three or four minutes
- Take out the spice bag
- Chill the soup thoroughly, and serve cold with cream decorated with syrup if liked
Variations:
- Raspberries can be used with red wine and the same spices
- A combination of berry fruits are also nice.
- Use apricots with a white wine instead of red wine
- If you don't want to use wine, try apple soup, which uses water thickened with a little flour and sour cream, and the same spices.
