Soup's on

a blog event hosted by Alanna from a veggie venture is running until the end of February. So in spite of I'm not really a fan of soups -

Even if my soup with this special "god cheating" swabian dumpling was really tasty, and my children often want a soup between the meals or as a light supper (e. g. Grießklößchensuppe/semolina dumpling soup and simple carrot and potatoe soup). And even if I used to make my own fonds/stocks/broths. You definitely can't call me a "Suppenkasper/soup-guzzler". Honestly I like only that spicy, coconutty Thai Khao Soi Gai and that strong beefsoup my grandmother used to make with lots of root vegetables, beef shank and some bones.

- I'd like to participate in this event and to give a new recipe a trial. Since here, in Singapore, we have always summer I've chosen a chilled soup which warms the innards only if you add several pinches of the cayenne pepper.

Watermelon and cherry tomato soup

As a starter I serve

Watermelon with aceto balsamico traditionale di Modena and goats feta cheese

and for dessert I make

Vanilla bean ice cream with cranberry-balsamic-sauce

Ingredients for the ice cream:
(The recipe for this "rich vanilla ice cream" is from Emily Luchetti's book "A passion for ice cream")

8large egg yolks
225 gsugar
240 mlmilk
720 mlheayy/whipping cream
8 Tbspunsalted butter, cut in 8 pieces
1 tsp very good vanilla extract (I used a splitted Tahitian vanilla pod)

(For a sauce I've combined
120 mlcranberry juice
120 mlbalsamic vinegar
2 Tbspsugar
- simmer the ingredients together over medium-high heat until the liquid has a syrupy consistence)


Preparation:

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, ½ the sugar, and the salt. Cook the milk, cream, and remaining sugar (I added the splitted vanilla bean and its scratched out mark in this step) in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until almost simmering. Slowly pour the milk and cream into the egg mixture, whisking as you pour. Return the mixture to the saucepan.


(I whisked the egg yolk mixture together in a bain marie/double boiler and added the hot milk mixture cup by cup when the water underneath my double boiler was starting to boil.) Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a heat-resistant plastic or wooden spatula (I used a whisk), until the custard reaches 175 °F and lightly coats a spatula. Remove from the heat and strain through a medium-meshed sieve into a clean bowl. Whisk in the butter.
(If you add about 5 tablespoons starck, dissolved in some spoons cold milk, to the hot milk you will have an excellent vanilla custard pudding without the butter and with the butter a wonderful creamy vanilla butter cream to fill a sponge cake. Without starck (or just about 2 tablespoons of it ) and without butter you'll have a delicious vanilla custard sauce.)
Cool over an ice bath until room temperature. Stir in the vanilla essence (if using this instead a real vanilla bean). Refrigerate for 4 hours.

Churn in an ice cream machine according to the manufactorer's instructions. Freeze until scoopable, about 4 hours, depending on your freezer. (As you can see in my picture I've frozen the ice cream only for about 1 hours - it is just melting away - but sooooo delicious)
I served some ice scoops together with different melons, tiny, sweet, seedless champagne grapes, dragon fruit and the aceto syrup. Especially the syrup goes so well with the ice cream - we licked it all off.



Ingredients for the soup:
(This ricipe is from the book "Naturally Peninsula")

450 gwatermelon flesh, seeded and chopped
3garlic cloves, peeled
280 gcherry tomatoes
180 gcranberry juice
2 Tbsplime juice
1 tspcayenne pepper
½ tspfine salt
¼ tspblack pepper, freshly ground
2plum/Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded and dices
140 gyam bean/jicama/mexican turnip/Yambohne, peeled and diced (- actually this is neither a bean nor a turnip, it is a root, it's taste reminds me to a firm pear)
140 gEnglish cucumber (I substituted it with a japanese one which is seedless and less bitter with a crisp flesh like the English one)
1handful mint leaves
¼ tspblack peppercorns, roughly ground


Preparation:

Place watermelon, garlic, cherry tomatoes, cranberry juice and lime juice in a blender and purée until fine.










Season with cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Refrigerate to chill soup.











Divide plum tomatoes, yam bean, cucumber among 4 soup bowls. Top with chilled soup and garnish with mint leaves. Sprinkle with black pepper. If desired, use a melon baller on extra watermelon flesh to obtain added garnishing.









Serve immediately.








Ingredients for the starter:

watermelon, deseeded
goats feta cheese, cut in cubes
aceto balsamico traditionale di Modena, alternativ regular balsamic vinegar
fleur de sel or sea salt flakes


Preparation:

With a fruit baller cut out some balls from the watermelon. Form a well in the ball with a knife, a spoon, or a smaler melon baller, fill this with some drops vinegar. Sprinkle a pinch of salt (preferentially fleur de sel or sea salt flakes ) over the cheese and serve together or spear together on a small skrewer.



P.s.: Okay I confess. I used to make a toasted unripe spelt soup topped with roasted hazelnut slices, a simple but delicious, Italian inspired tomato basil soup, a soup from leftover goulash, a soup from leftover lentils and "Spätzle", a broccoli cream soup, ... . And once I really enjoyed having a cold polish cucumber and pickled gherkin soup, and I love thos Japanese miso based soups with udon or soba noodles. But I'm not a "Suppenkasper/soup-guzzler" at all.

soup glorious soupsoup's on