Fruit Soups as Summer Appetizers For When The Sun Is Raging Hard

Life is short, so don’t hesitate to have a sweet start to your meal. If you’re hosting, then fruit soups that have a balance of sweet and savory flavor profiles are a very unique and refreshing way to kickstart a feast. Use seasonal produce or even frozen fruits for these recipes. Your guests will be surprised but impressed by how you’ve managed to bring an innovative Michelin star restaurant experience to your dinner table! Here are a few tasty and easy-to-prepare fruit soup recipes to serve as appetizers:

Watermelon Gazpacho

Ingredients:

• 680 gm cubed watermelon
• 3 tomatoes, halved with seeds removed
• 1 medium red bell pepper, de-seeded
• ½ red onion
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• ⅓ cup mint leaves
• 45 ml olive oil
• 45 ml sherry vinegar
• 1 tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp fresh black pepper
• ¼ tsp cumin powder
• 2 slices of white bread

Instructions:

• Remove the crusts of the white bread and soak it in water then squeeze all of the liquid.
• Blend along with watermelon, tomatoes, red pepper, onion, garlic, mint, olive oil, and sherry vinegar. Make sure that the liquid is completely smooth.
• Also add the seasonings and aromatics.
• When you get a smooth but soupy consistency, transfer into a serving bowl and refrigerate.
• Serve chilled.

Mango Coconut Soup

Ingredients:

• 850 gm chopped mango
• 100 gm plain yogurt
• 120 ml coconut milk
• 120 ml milk
• 1 ½ tsp lime juice
• 1 tsp lime zest
• 2 tsp honey
• ½ minced green chili (adjust to taste)
• 1 tsp mint leaves + some for garnish
• ½ tsp salt

Instructions:

• Slice and remove the pit from the mangoes. You can freeze them too if you want the soup super chilled.
• Blend the fruit along with yogurt, coconut milk, milk, and the other ingredients until smooth and creamy. If the soup seems too thick, then add a splash of water to loosen it and make it pourable.
• Pour into serving bowls and garnish with some mint leaves.

Peach Soup with Goat’s Cheese

Ingredients:

• 710 gm sliced and peeled peaches
• 60 gm sliced cucumbers
• 60 gm diced and de-seeded yellow bell pepper
• 60 gm dried apricots
• 2 tbsp honey
• 3 tbsp goat’s cheese
• 60 ml white balsamic vinegar
• 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• 1-2 garlic cloves
• 2 slices of white bread (for croutons)
• 1/2 tsp fresh black pepper

Instructions:

• Add sliced peaches, cucumbers, bell pepper, apricots in a bowl along with honey, crushed garlic cloves, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and honey.
• Let the fruits and vegetables marinate in the fridge overnight.
• Blend in a food processor along with some water and goat’s cheese until it reaches your desired consistency.
• Cut the bread into cubes and either deep fry or pan fry the croutons. Drain on a paper towel.
• Chill the soup before serving it garnished with crumbled goat’s cheese and croutons.  

Hungarian Blueberry Soup

Ingredients:

• 710 gm blueberries
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 cinnamon stick

Instructions:

• Put the blueberries in a saucepan with honey, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Keep the pan on medium heat so that the blueberries break down.
• Once the berry stew is cool, you can strain it through a fine mesh sieve. However, if you like some texture, you can just keep the stew as is.
• Create a cornstarch slurry, and add it to the berry stew. Place the saucepan back on the stove and let it slightly thicken.
• Then remove from heat and add lemon zest.
• You can serve it warm, but it will taste amazingly delicious when chilled during the summer. You can also garnish it with a dollop of yogurt too.