Hungarian Fruit Soup
Video: Hungarian Fruit Soup
Years ago, my friends and I were exploring Budapest. We were taking in the beauty of the city while swallowed by heat! We went to dinner and a soup on the menu caught our eyes. Cold fruit soup. We were intrigued but hesitant. It’s a soup with fruits and it’s cold? We were confused. But we ordered it anyway and OMG, so glad we did. It is the answer on a hot day!
I am using summer fruits common in the United States here, like cherries, strawberries and blueberries. You can use other fruits like apples, pears, and blackberries.
Fruits are like jewels, we want to be gentle with them. So we cook them over medium low heat and bring them to a boil. Then we reduce the heat to low and let them simmer for 5 minutes.
Mix the cornstarch in the cream before adding them to the pot. The reason why we don’t mix the cornstarch in hot liquid is because it will clump. The cream and cornstarch and the pectin released from the berries help thicken the soup. Once it starts to thicken, only cook it for 1 minute. Do not overcook the thickening or the soup will thin out as it cools.
To make the soup even more summer-y, let’s get a fresh lemon. Remember that we are cooking the fruits with cinnamon and vanilla, they add richness to the soup. And fresh lemon juice adds acidity and brightens the flavors. Let it cool and refrigerate for 4 hours. You will love this Hungarian fruit soup!
Serves 4
Berries and Cherries (trimmed or pitted) 2 lb
Cinnamon Stick 1
Vanilla Extract 1 tsp
Water 3 cups
Maple Syrup 1/3 cup
Cream or Coconut Cream 2/3 cup
Cornstarch 2 Tbsp
Lemon (juiced) 1 Tbsp
In a medium pot, combine fresh fruits, a cinnamon stick and vanilla extract. Add enough water to cover the fruits, about 3 cups. Cover with a lid, heat over medium low heat and bring it to a boil. When it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 5 min.
Combine the cornstarch and cream, mix well before adding the mixture to the pot. Stir frequently, cook until the mixture thickens. Add the lemon juice and mix well.
Remove from heat. Let it cool to room temperature before transferring the pot to the refrigerator. Chill for 4 hours. Serve cold. Enjoy!
Hungarian Fruit Soup with summer jewels
preparing the summer fruits like strawberries, cherries, blueberries
turning the summer fruits into Hungarian Fruit Soup (Gyümölcsleves)
boiling the berries over medium low heat
