Cold Strawberry Soup
For Shavuot, the festival to commemorate the giving of the Ten Commandments, it is traditional to serve only
dairy dishes. This Cold Strawberry Soup is perfect for Shavuot, which usually falls in mid-June, when you need
a refreshing first course. I've adapted this recipe from Gloria Greene, The Jewish Holiday Cookbook, Times Books, 1985.
To follow Cold Strawberry Soup, serve a salmon mousse, tomato basil and corn salad, and Tel Aviv noodle kugel.
Ingredients
- 1 cup cold water
- 1 cup fresh orange juice
- 1/4 cup sugar, or more to taste
- 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 6 cups cleaned fresh strawberries
- 1 T. cornstarch
- 3/4 cup dry red wine
- 1 1/4 cups very fresh buttermilk
Yield: 4-6 servings
Combine water, juice, sugar, allspice, and cinnamon. Bring to boil. Add
the strawberries and cover the pot. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Transfer to a food processor, and process until completely puréed.
Return the purée to the pot. Dissolve the cornstarch in the wine, and
stir the wine mixture into the strawberry purée. Stir over medium
high heat until the soup thickens slightly and comes to a boil. Simmer for
1 minute. Remove from heat, and let the mixture cool to tepid.
Stir in the buttermilk.
Refrigerate the soup, covered, for at least 5 hours. Serve chilled.