Recipe: Watermelon blueberry soup

Watermelon blueberry soup

Total time: 30 minutes plus

1 hour steeping time and

chilling time

Servings: 8

Notes: From chef Alan Ashkinaze of Aqua at the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort. He serves this as an amuse, but it also makes a terrific cocktail or even dessert.

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup water

2 tablespoons white wine

1 stalk lemongrass

1 1/2 cups cubed red seedless watermelon

3/4 cup cubed ripe peach (about 1)

1/2 cup cubed cantaloupe

1/4 cup blueberries, divided

1/4 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice

1 1/2 teaspoons mint

chiffonade

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons Cointreau,

divided

6 tablespoons Champagne or sparkling white wine

3 tablespoons club soda

1. Combine the sugar, water, white wine and lemongrass in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and gently simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the mixture steep for at least 1 hour. Strain and set aside.

2. In a blender, combine the watermelon, peach, cantaloupe and half of the blueberries. Puree until smooth. Strain the mixture through a chinois or fine sieve (if you have a juicer, you can use it instead of a blender and skip this step because a juicer will strain the fruit.) Add the orange juice and some of the lemongrass simple syrup to taste, about 1 to 2 tablespoons. Chill the mixture.

3. Just before serving, cut the remaining blueberries in half and place in a small bowl. Add the mint, ground cayenne pepper, a pinch of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of Cointreau. Stir gently and divide among 8 demitasse cups.

4. To the watermelon mixture, stir in 1 1/4 teaspoons Cointreau, the Champagne and club soda. Divide the mixture among the cups, pouring over the blueberries. Serve immediately.

Each serving: 62 calories; 0 protein; 13 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 0 fat; 0 saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 2 mg. sodium.