Embrace Summer in Spring with Chilled Strawberry Soup

My granddaughters, Maddie and Emma, are both grown adults now, but each remembers making of chilled strawberry soup together as children with their friends for their own Kentucky Derby party.”

As the weather finally begins to warm up on here on Cape Ann, it is time to transition away from heavy, comforting winter meals and look toward light, refreshing tastes that celebrate the arrival of early spring berries.  When you want a dish that is colorful, cool, and effortless, a chilled fruit soup is the perfect transition into the new season.

Yes, it’s time for berry soup

This time of year—especially with Saturday’s Kentucky Derby approaching—brings to mind a memory involving my granddaughters, Emma and Maddie.

A little more than a few years ago, my son Georgie asked if my husband Todd and I could take care of the girls for the weekend while he and his wife, Mary, went away to attend the Kentucky Derby.  It was exciting for them, and we gladly accepted, as we love spending time with the girls, and I encouraged them to invite some friends over for a party.

During their visit, I made a chilled strawberry soup.  It is a wonderfully elegant dish that also happens to be a massive hit with kids.  

Because the berries are initially simmered in red wine, some parents might pause, but there is no need to worry about the alcohol, as it burns completely off while the soup simmers.  It is a foolproof, stress-free treat that feels incredibly sophisticated but takes very little effort.  And because I keep potted herbs inside on my kitchen windowsill all winter for their beauty, fragrance, and for cooking, it was easy to clip off some mint leaves to garnish our soup.  Many herbs, especially mint and basil, go beautifully with the flavor of berries, especially strawberries.

Maddie and Emma are both grown up now, and they each remember that day and how they enjoyed the making of chilled strawberry soup together with their friends.

My mother's treat

Now, some people serve chilled fruit soup for dessert, and others, like me, enjoy serving it as an appetizer, especially in April or May, as a prelude to the hot summer bumper months of June, July and August that we’re all excited to get to.  It’s also a nice surprise, offering a colorful—not to mention elegant—fruit soup as a first course.

Whenever the early strawberries arrive, I also think of my mother, Dahlia, who was an absolute berry lover.  

Every year when I visited her in Florida, we would spend a few hours partaking in one of her favorite activities: visiting a "Pick Your Own" strawberry farm.  However, in my mother's case, it would have been more aptly named "Steal Your Own."  She would completely fill herself up as we picked, tossing one berry into the bucket and popping the next one straight into her mouth as if we’d arrived at an all-you-can-eat Sunday buffet.

I used to warn her about eating them straight off the bush.

"Ma, they need to be washed," I would tell her!

She would quickly dismiss me, responding, "You think you know everything!" Unsurprisingly, on more than one occasion she actually did get a little sick from over-strawberrying herself.  

Looking back now, I wouldn't complain about a single thing if I could just spend one more afternoon picking—and stealing—strawberries with her.

Soon, strawberries will have their bumper months in farmer’s markets and shops.  But even now, here in New England in April and May, quarts of strawberries are dependably available in Whole Foods or Marketbasket.  Making a chilled soup for a light meal at home, as a first course at a dinner party, or even as a bright and fun dessert, is one of the easiest paths to getting right into the mood and feeling of summer.

The Recipe: Chilled Strawberry Soup

This is a fantastic way to use up abundant berries, especially if you have a few that are slightly bruised or overly soft.

• Wash, clean, and cut up a quart of fresh strawberries.
• Place the berries in a heavy pot, cover them with red wine, and sprinkle a cup of sugar over them. (If you happen to have an open bottle of sparkling wine or rosé that you want to finish up, that works beautifully here too).
• Bring the soup to a simmer. Watch the pot carefully, as it will make a terrible mess if it boils over!
• If you like, sprinkle a little cinnamon—about a heaping tablespoon—into the simmering soup.
• After about fifteen minutes, the berries will be cooked and ready to burst.
• Allow the soup to cool slightly, then puree it in a food processor or blender.
• Stir in your dairy of choice. You can use two cups of heavy cream, a pint of Half and Half, or yogurt mixed with sour cream—it all works wonderfully.
• Chill the soup thoroughly in the refrigerator.
• To serve, ladle into bowls or fun glasses and garnish with three tablespoons of freshly chopped mint.

A resident of Beverly Farms, Rosalie Harrington is a chef with a storied career.  As the founder of Rosalie’s in Marblehead, she was one of the country’s first chef-owners and helmed one of the first cooking shows on the Food Network.  She also served as the head of catering at Tufts University and has taught cooking classes for more than 20 years.