Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Chilled Raspberry Soup w/ Thai Flavors (& Ravioli Follow up)


These past few weeks, we've literally been buying pounds of fresh berries at the farmers' market and munching on them as snacks, dessert, and everything in between. That's just thing with berries; you can toss those little jewels in anywhere (especially your mouth!).

This soup may not suit everyone's tastes...it's a bit on the tart side and you have to like the flavors of cilantro, lemon grass, and kaffir lime. (Of course, cilantro-averse people could sub basil or mint, or any herb that suits their fancy.)

Although I give approximate measurements of what I used below, I intend this as more of a recipe idea rather than an actual recipe.  I encourage anyone who tries this to add the ingredients in little by little adjusting to suit your own tastes and/or subbing with other flavors that sound good. The end result in this case came out in a strong raspberry flavor with subtle hints of lime and lemongrass.


And one last thing: I didn't sieve the raspberries...we don't mind the errant seed and a slightly thicker texture, but it's up to you...*if I were serving this to company, I would definitely sieve them first.* :)

Recipe Idea   (Makes 4 small appetizer servings or 2 average servings):

1 pound fresh raspberries, rinsed ( ~ 2 cups)
12 inches worth (~ 1/3 cup finely chopped) lemon grass,  tough outer leaves removed and cut into fine rounds
4-5 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped (or more/less to taste)  ( I use dried ones)
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro (or more/less to taste)
1 cup coconut milk (or more for a creamier, more coconut-y flavor)

Mix everything in a blender until smooth and allow to chill for at least 30 minutes. Serve chilled and garnish with cilantro and raspberries. As an afterthought, a bit of shredded coconut would be nice too.

PS: If you don't have a super blender...make sure you really trim off all the tough leaves from the lemon grass...get down to the really tender stuff... in order to avoid any stringiness.

And now for something completely different....

Here's a follow-up shot of the ravioli from this post...(in case anyone was wondering):


I served them with sauteed crook-neck squash and a fresh tomato sauce seasoned with garlic, red pepper flakes, and fresh oregano; garnished with basil and black olive.

Verdict: Thumbs Up.  The filling imparted a light lemony richness, while the summery flavors of fresh tomato and oregano gave a sweet-savory zing. The yellow squash was a nice textural component and added color.


Summer is fleeting by isn't it? I hope everyone is enjoying it.

Ciao for now.

Roseann LaPonte
Rosanne Tobin

19 comments:

  1. Oh me oh my! I actually *was* hoping you'd post a follow-up to your "cliffhanger" ravioli post! This looks friggin' amazing!!!

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  2. Gorgeous Ravioli post! I love Black Olives like that too.

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  3. Those ravioli look delicious, and I love the light sauce full of fresh vegetables.

    I'm not a huge chilled soup fan, but that bright raspberry soup also looks fantastic.

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  4. I love cold soup this sounds great! ;-)

    Gorgeous ravioli picture.

    Ali

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  5. Thanks each and everyone of you for your nice words and input. :)

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  6. Such an interesting combo. Although I like all those flavours, and the pips. I am not a chilled soup fan.

    The ravioli serves up looks good.

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  7. Hi, Rose! Though I adore gazpacho, like mangocheeks I'm not generally a chilled-soup fan. But this almost sounds like a melted sorbetto sort of affair, so with its fruity sweetness I bet I'd love this! I think I'd prefer it with the mint, but the cilantro sounds interesting. It's sure pretty - makes me feel cooler, fresher and healthier just looking at it! :-) (And lucky you having access to all that local, organic berry abundance! I was finally able to buy some organic strawberries this week without having to take out a bank loan! Our produce is steep here, and organic local is very sparse. *sigh*)

    Your ravioli looks like a little bowl of heaven!! Your grandmother would be very proud! :-)

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  8. What an interesting idea with the raspberries! I bet I would love it with that coconut milk. You are creative!

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  9. Mangocheeks:

    It sounds like you are not alone in the chilled soup preference camp...I'm not sure about other chilled soups, but this one is really more like a smoothie...so I guess you could just as well drink it...eating with a spoon is sort of much of a muchness.

    Laurie,

    This would make a wonderful sorbet! Great idea! I can understand about chilled soups not being everyone's cup of tea...this could just as easily be a smoothie. Bummer about the lack of organic/local...I wish I could send you some, but I doubt they would travel very well. I wonder what my grandparents would make of these ravioli; certainly the idea of cashew cheese would be a new concept for them.

    Carissa,

    You got it with the coconut milk...I only added a cup, but if I make this sort of thing again, I'll add more coconut milk...it just ramps up the yumminess.

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  10. Yum, your ravioli looks delicious. I'm not a big fan of cold soup either but it sure does make a pretty dish. I think I could go for that more if it were a type of sorbet. :o) Your recipes do sound delicious!

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  11. Hi Michelle,

    Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I agree...I think the raspberry mixture would make a great sorbet flavor! I love meeting new people in the blogosphere; I'll be stopping by your blog soon!

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  12. Yes, Rose, as a matter of fact I *was* totally wondering, but didn't like to be rude about it since your photos of the raw ravioli were so nice! "Cliffhanger" indeed! Thanks for completing the story; your cooked version looks awesome.

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  13. Zoa,

    Sorry to leave you hanging! The ravioli definitely had a homemade charm about them...maybe not as refined as store-bought, but good just the same.

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  14. Thanks for the compliments on my pics...

    I am very intrigued by the Thai Raspberry Soup.... it sounds delicious and is so pretty!

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  15. Rose, it probably won't surprise you to know that my hubby wouldn't go for cold soup, but I WOULD like to try this dish. I love raspberries! Also, the sauce you made for the ravioli looks just as good as the pasta itself! Marvelous.

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  16. Blessedmama,

    Ha! Cold soup is very sketchy w/ my husband too, but I manage to get him to eat it sometimes...you could be sneaky and put it in a glass and call it a smoothie instead...

    Thanks for the encouraging words about the ravioli.

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  17. Melody,

    Thanks for stopping by; glad you like the idea of the soup.

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  18. Phooey, I thought I already commented on this post. Sometimes when I'm on my phone, it's a little shady. I think what I had said was - I seriously can't wait to make your ravioli, and the final product further convinces me of that!

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  19. Hi Jenny!

    I thought you commented on this one too...I swear I remember it too...maybe we both just entered the Twilight Zone :) Anyway, no worries, and thanks for the follow up; glad you like the look of the ravioli...I'm sure if/when you make some, your version will be great too!

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