Watermelon and Mint Soup

Makes: 4 servings

Time: 20 minutes

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This light and refreshing soup is an ideal summertime dessert — add more rum and turn it into a cocktail you can either sip in a glass or eat with a spoon. Cantaloupe, honeydew, and other melons work here too, but since they aren’t as watery as watermelon you’ll have to press the purée more in Step 2, and may have to add a little water to the blender. For a classic berry soup — the kind you’d get at a fancy brunch — try the first variation.

• ½ cup Simple Syrup (page 685)
• 4 sprigs fresh mint
• 2 pounds ripe watermelon, rind and seeds removed
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice
• ¼ cup rum (optional)
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon or lime zest
• Chopped fresh mint for garnish

1. Put the syrup and mint in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and steep for about 10 minutes, then discard the sprigs and let the mint syrup cool to room temperature.
2. Cut enough of the watermelon into ½-inch cubes to measure 2 cups; set aside. Put the remaining watermelon in a blender; add the lemon juice, the rum if you’re using it, and mint syrup. Purée until liquefied. Line a fine-meshed strainer with a clean kitchen towel and set it over a large bowl; strain the watermelon purée, pressing on the pulp to squeeze as much juice out as you can. You can cover and refrigerate the soup at this point for up to several hours.
3. Divide the watermelon soup among 4 bowls, add the watermelon cubes and zest and garnish with mint.

Sparkling Wine with Berries So simple and lovely: Omit the rum and use lemon juice and zest. Substitute 3 cups mixed berries (whole or sliced as necessary) for the watermelon and add 3½ cups sparkling white wine; increase the simple syrup to 1 cup. Infuse the syrup in Step 1; skip Step 2. Divide the berries among the bowls, pour over the mint syrup, then pour on the sparkling wine. Garnish with mint.

Vanilla-Apricot Soup Slice the apricots and float them in the sweet soup, or purée together: Increase the simple syrup to 1 cup. Substitute 1 vanilla bean for the mint, ripe apricots for the watermelon, Cointreau or sweet white wine for the rum, and use whipped cream or crème fraîche for garnish. Use lemon juice and zest. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, use a small sharp knife to scrape the seeds into the simple syrup (save the pod for another use), add 1 cup water and the lemon juice and zest, and infuse. Skip Step 2; slice the apricots, put in the bowls, and pour the vanilla soup over the top. Macerate for up to 2 hours if you have the time.