Trail of Crumbs: Chilled Blueberry Soup

I'm ready for fall.  Cooler temperatures, chili, apple cider.  This delayed summer is for the birds.  It's October, but feels like August.  It's like someone forgot to tell Mother Nature to send in the crisp clear air and cool breezes.

Instead of bowls of chili, hearty fall squashes, and roasted veggies, we're still doing light salads and cold soups.

I am a strong supporter of cold soups in the summer.  Chilled cucumber soup, cold gazpacho.  It's as if the summer produce flavors come bursting out when the soup isn't steamy.

Fruit soups for me always seem more like dessert.  Especially when honey and vanilla are prominent ingredients.  This blueberry soup is a really nice end to a late summer meal, but also works as a topping for ice cream, pancakes, or mixed with a little sparkling wine.

Chilled Blueberry Soup (From Trail of Crumbs)

6 cups fresh blueberries

4 cloves

1/2 cup liquid honey

1 vanilla bean or 1 cinnamon stick

1 Tbsp lemon juice

3 Tbsp creme de cassis

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1.  Rinse blueberries and and place all but 1 cup in a large pot.  
2.  Add cloves and honey.
3. Split vanilla bean lengthwise, scrape seeds into pot using tip of knife, and add scraped bean halves (or scrape cinnamon into pot and add stick).
4. Add one cup water and stir.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and let simmer about 10 minutes.
5. Strain, using back of spoon to crush berries through a fine sieve into a bow.  Discard solids.
6. Let soup cool.  Stir in lemon juice, creme de cassis, and vinegar.
7. Add more honey as needed.  Chill in refrigerator 4 hours.  Serve in chilled bowls with reserved cup of blueberries.