Chilled Watermelon Soup with Mint and Ginger

Method

Carla Pellegrino serves this refreshing sweet soup as a palate cleanser, but we were tempted to make larger servings to enjoy for dessert on hot summer evenings.

• 8 cups diced (1/2-inch pieces) watermelon (about 1 pound)
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cups water
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger, divided
• 8 leaves fresh mint, washed and dried
• 3 cups crushed ice
• 3/4 cup finely diced honeydew melon, chilled

Place the diced watermelon in the freezer and freeze until solid, about an hour.

Place 6 soup bowls in the freezer to chill while you prepare the soup.

Combine the granulated sugar, water, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the ginger in a heavy-bottomed sauce pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then lower the flame and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl and set another bowl inside it.

Purée the frozen watermelon and the remaining ginger in a blender. Remove the center of blender’s lid and, with the blender still running, carefully pour the hot sugar syrup into the blender. Continue blending until everything is liquefied, about 1 minute. Add the mint and blend for another minute.

Pour the soup into bowl that’s sitting in the ice bath. Using a ladle, skim any foam from the soup’s surface.

To serve, place 1/2 cup of crushed ice in the bottom of each chilled soup bowl. Top each mound of crushed ice with a heaping tablespoon of diced honeydew melon. Fill the bowls with chilled watermelon soup.

Yield

6 servings