Fresh Peach Yogurt Soup with Pistachios & Candied Mint Leaves
We're nearing the end of summer. On the last Monday before Autumn, I found it only appropriate to prep a perfect summer dessert - peaches. This is a great chilled "soup," for lack of a better term. I really love this dish on the second day when the flavors have had a chance to mingle overnight. What's best about this dish is that it's seasonal, so you're forced to patiently wait for peaches all year. It makes it taste so much better once you can finally get your hands on some fresh peaches. Patience is delicious!
We're nearing the end of summer. On the last Monday before Autumn, I found it only appropriate to prep a perfect summer dessert - peaches. This is a great chilled "soup," for lack of a better term. I really love this dish on the second day when the flavors have had a chance to mingle overnight. What's best about this dish is that it's seasonal, so you're forced to patiently wait for peaches all year. It makes it taste so much better once you can finally get your hands on some fresh peaches. Patience is delicious!
- Carbohydrate 16.6480574053572 g
- Cholesterol 0.91875 mg
- Fat 0.550581168757819 g
- Fiber 1.81596513473488 g
- Protein 1.8698895167843 g
- Saturated Fat 0.193427200076025 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (143g)
- Sodium 11.5267812510692 mg
- Sugar 14.8320922706224 g
- Trans Fat 0.107806512154206 g
- Calories 76 calories
Step-by-step
- First you'll want to pit and coarsely chop your peaches. Do not peel them! Keep the skin on! I like to throw the peaches in a hot saucepan and put a little bit of color on them, but you don't need to. You can simply toss your peach pieces into a pan with wine, honey, lemon juice, and apple cider vinegar. Cover the pot and simmer for 30 minutes. I like to stir it every 10 minutes or so.
- When the peaches are soft and the wine mixture has become slightly syrupy and foamy, you'll want to puree everything together. I like to use an immersion blender or stick mixer. Once everything is completely pureed, you'll want to strain your peach mixture. I really put a lot of effort into this step. It took me 20-30 minutes of constant stirring to completely strain my peach puree through a chinois. The amount of straining required is completely up to you.
- When your mixture has been strained (or not), add your cinnamon, nutmeg, and yogurt and mix thoroughly. Again, I mix everything with the immersion blender. You can use the same food processor you used to puree if you like. (optional: Heavy cream takes on a slightly nutty flavor when reduced. If you'd like to dilute your peach mixture, you can use a bit of heavy cream added to your yogurt.) When your peach mixture is fully incorporated, set in the fridge to chill for a few hours if you're serving it that night or you can chill it overnight to serve the next day.
- For garnish, I like to chop up some pistachios. Pulsing in a food processor works great for this. The green color of the nuts really goes well with the orange from the peach and yogurt puree. To candy your mint leaves, simply spray them with non-stick spray and dredge them through sugar. I also enjoy spooning a bit of heavy cream around the outside of the dish for presentation. A thinly sliced peach also looks pretty cool.
The ingredient list fails to mention that fruit selection dictates the final acidity and thickness of the soup. Clingstone peaches yield less free-running juice than freestone varieties, which can throw off the liquid ratio when simmering with white wine and apple cider vinegar. Furthermore, leaving the skin on provides necessary pectin for body, but skipping the fine-mesh straining step leaves behind fibrous strands that ruin the velvety mouthfeel expected in a chilled fruit soup.
Avoiding Common Technical Pitfalls
Simmering the fruit for thirty minutes softens the flesh and reduces the wine, but failing to cool the base before incorporating the plain yogurt will cause the dairy to break and curdle upon contact. Always chill the pureed peach and wine mixture to at least 40 degrees Fahrenheit before whisking in the yogurt. When straining through a chinois, use a flexible silicone spatula rather than a rigid metal spoon to press the solids through without forcing unwanted pulp into the smooth base. For texture contrast, chop the pistachios into uniform pieces no larger than two millimeters so they float rather than sink to the bottom of the bowl.
Scaling Considerations
Multiplying this recipe for larger gatherings requires careful attention to the acid and spice ratios. Doubling the white wine and lemon juice scales linearly, but reduce the added nutmeg and cinnamon by ten percent if exceeding twelve servings to prevent the spices from overpowering the fresh fruit flavor. Store any leftover soup in an airtight glass container for no more than forty-eight hours, as the fresh fruit enzymes will eventually degrade the yogurt emulsion.
