When my friend Cherrie and I divided up the food prep for our luncheon tea last week, she opted to make the chilled soup. And what a lovely one it was. The recipe came from an article in the Los Angeles Times food section, and was a soup served at the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort, a very luxury resort right on the Pacific Ocean in Dana Point, here in Southern California. When the resort first opened some years ago, Cherrie and I had breakfast there, and another time we went for lunch. But we ate in the café, which is pricey, to say the least. For a café. They did have a dinner restaurant there, called Aqua, but it’s since been replaced by another restaurant, Stonehill Tavern. I haven’t eaten at either one, but while the chef, Alan Ashkinaze was at Aqua, he provided this recipe.
The soup is so low in calorie it’s almost non-existent (yes, really, just 67 calories), it has zero fat, and is so refreshing. You make simple syrup with lemongrass as a subtle undercurrent. The soup itself is watermelon, cantaloupe, peach and blueberries. Then it’s also accented with cayenne, Cointreau, champagne, fresh mint, orange juice and club soda. Does that not sound unusual? I just loved it. Not everyone did, however (don’t know why, and certainly wouldn’t ask). But if you enjoy fruit, and you like some unusual combinations, try this. Sorry for the blurry picture - I had to snap it in a big rush as the ladies were about to sit down.
Watermelon Blueberry Soup
Recipe By: Chef Alan Ashkinaze of now-defunct Aqua, St.Regis Monarch Beach Resort
Servings: 8
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 tablespoons white wine
1 stalk lemongrass
1 1/4 cups watermelon — peeled, cubed
1/4 cup peach — peeled, cubed
1/2 cup cantaloupe — peeled, cubed
1/4 cup blueberries — divided use
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 1/2 teaspoons mint — cut in chiffonade (tiny shreds)
1 pinch cayenne
1 1/2 teaspoons Cointreau
6 tablespoons champagne — or sparkling white wine
3 tablespoons club soda
1. Combine the sugar, water, white wine and lemongrass in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and gently simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Turn off heat and let mixture steep for at least 1 hour. Strain and set aside.
2. In a blender, combine the watermelon, peach, cantaloupe and HALF the blueberries. Puree until smooth. Strain the mixture through a chinois or fine sieve (if you have a juicer, you can use it instead of a blender and skip this step because a juicer will strain the fruit.) Add the orange juice and some of the lemongrass simple syrup to taste, about 1-2 tablespoons. Chill the mixture.
3. Just before serving, cut the remaining blueberries in half and place in a small bowl. Add the mint, ground cayenne pepper, a pinch of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of Cointreau. Stir gently and divide among 8 demitasse cups or small glasses.
4. To the watermelon mixture, stir in 1 1/4 teaspoons Cointreau, the champagne and club soda. Divide the mixture among the cups, pouring over the blueberries. Serve immediately.
Per Serving: 67 Calories; trace Fat (3.3% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 14g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 5mg Sodium.
