Cold Melon Soup With Tarragon And Dry Sherry Food

TARRAGON-CELERY SOUP

Steps:

• Place a large pot over medium-low heat. Add butter and melt to coat the bottom of the pot. Add celery and onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent and celery is softened, 10 to 15 minutes. Keep the heat low enough so that the butter does not burn and onion does not brown or caramelize. Add garlic; cook and stir until aromatic, about 1 minute. Stir in salt, white pepper, tarragon, and cayenne.
• Meanwhile, place a medium pot over very low heat. Add milk and chicken broth and allow to warm slowly. Do not allow to boil or scald.
• Stir flour into the vegetable mixture until no dry flour remains. Pour in all but 1 cup of the warm liquid and bring to a low simmer.
• Whisk cornstarch into the remaining cup of liquid until there are no lumps. Add the cornstarch mixture to the vegetables. Stir in sherry. Bring to a simmer and cook over low heat until warm throughout and slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
• Blend half of the soup in the bowl of a food processor or blender, then add back into the pot and serve.

COLD MELON SOUP

Steps:

• In a blender container, combine honeydew, lime juice, and honey. Blend until smooth. Pour into a bowl and add yogurt.
• Beat with a fork or wire whisk until blended.
• Chill several hours.
• Serve cold.
• Whisk before serving and garnish each bowl with a few melon balls.
• NOTE: chilling time not included with prep time.

COLD MELON SOUP WITH TARRAGON AND DRY SHERRY

Steps:

• Split melons in half, root end down. Put juice and seeds in a fine sieve set over a bowl. There should be about 1/3 cup of juice. Set aside.
• Using a melon-ball scoop, cut out 12 balls from each melon half. Set aside. Using a large spoon, remove remaining flesh, and place it in the container of a blender. Add reserved juice and sherry. Puree until very fine. Place mixture in a bowl, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• To serve, stack 12 melon balls in the center of each of four soup plates, forming a pyramid. Divide soup evenly around melon balls. Place a sprig of tarragon on top. Chop remaining tarragon, and sprinkle around edges of soup.

CHILLED WATERMELON SOUP

Steps:

• Put 5 cups of diced watermelon in a food processor or blender and blitz to a purée. Strain purée through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl. You should have about 4 cups purée. Season with salt and pepper and cayenne, 1 tablespoon vinegar and 2 tablespoons lime juice. Taste and adjust seasoning. Chill bowl on ice or refrigerate.
• To serve, place remaining diced watermelon, honeydew melon and cucumber in a small mixing bowl. Toss with a little salt and pepper, 2 tablespoons lime juice and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Divide mixture evenly into chilled soup bowls.
• Ladle watermelon purée into each bowl. Sprinkle with chives, basil and mint. Add a sprinkle of crushed red pepper and flaky salt if desired. Pass lime wedges separately.

CHILLED MELON SOUP

Steps:

• Place the orange juice, yogurt and cantaloupe in a blender; cover and process until pureed. Add the honey, salt, nutmeg and cayenne; cover and process until smooth. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Garnish with mint sprigs.

COOL MELON SOUP

Steps:

• Set a fine-mesh strainer over a small bowl. Press tofu through strainer into bowl. Stir in white soy sauce. Cover and chill. DO AHEAD:Can be made 4 hours ahead. Keep chilled.
• Set a medium-mesh strainer over a medium bowl. Halve melons horizontally. Scrape seeds, strings, and juices from center of each melon half into strainer. Press lightly on mixture in strainer to release juices. Discard solids in strainer. Reserve juices.
• Using a small melon baller, scoop out 18 balls from 1 melon half. Place melon balls in a small bowl; season lightly with sea salt and vinegar and gently toss. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Drain; transfer to a small bowl and reserve.
• Meanwhile, cut rind from remaining 3 melon halves and cut flesh into 2" pieces. Melt butter in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent but not browned, about 10 minutes. Cut a parchment-paper round just large enough to cover surface of soup in pot. Add melon pieces with reserved juices to pot. Cover pot with parchment-paper round. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until melon is soft but not mushy and an instant-read thermometer inserted into melon reads 150°, about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly.
• Working in batches, purée soup in a blender until smooth. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl. Strain soup. Season to taste with sea salt. Cover and chill, along with serving bowls, until cold, about 4 hours.
• Ladle soup into chilled bowls. Spoon 1 heaping teaspoons of the tofu mixture into center. Top with a few toasted almonds and 3 melon balls. Drizzle almond oil over and garnish with fresh herbs.