Chilled Peach and Ginger Soup

I got some delicious peaches from my favorite farm on a recent outing to the mountains. I thought about making some peach jam or peach butter, but I wanted to do something different.  It’s been so hot recently that I really didn’t feel like standing over a hot stove. 

 

Then I remembered this Chilled Peach and Ginger Soup recipe I found in a quaint little book my mom was reading for her book club. She thought I would be interested in the book because of the scones recipe in the back; however, the recipe that grabbed my attention was this Peach Soup.

 

 

The book is from the Tea Shop Mystery series by Laura Childs. I haven’t read the book yet myself, but from the description my mom gave me, I really like the plot and the setting. The main character owns a tea shop in Charleston and is an amateur sleuth.  The book is full of tea lore and you can find recipes in the back for all of the dishes that are served in the tea shop. I thought that was so cool!

I’ve been wanting to try some chilled soups this summer. This peach soup sounded so refreshing, I decided to jot the recipe down.  Now, I’d like to share it with you. 

 

Chilled Peach and Ginger Soup

Adapted from the recipe found in Tea Shop Mystery series by Laura Childs

Yield: About 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 pounds fresh peaches, peeled, pitted, and chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream (I used half and half)

 

Directions:

1. Puree the peaches and ginger in a food processor until smooth.  I used an immersion blender (instead of my food processor) to reduce the cleanup. 

   

   

    

2. Slowly add the heavy cream (or half and half). 

   

    

3. Chill and serve cold.  As you can see, the half and half changed the color from orange to a very light peachy color.

   

    

   I liked this soup and so did my taste tester; however, it was a wee bit tart so I made a couple of adjustments.  I added a couple of teaspoons of agave nectar to give it a little sweetness.  I also added a little bit of cinnamon to the individual bowls to give it a little more depth. The soup doesn’t really need it. We tried it both ways…but I must say, I did like it with the cinnamon. 

   

   This soup is very refreshing.  Perfect for a hot summer afternoon or evening.  I’ve enjoyed it for lunch and dinner a couple of times. Next time I make this soup, I’ll use Loring Peaches. They come a little later in the season so they are sweeter. I also think the amount of cream (or half and half) could be reduced a bit. This is definitely a recipe you could play around with to suit your tastes.