Chilled Blueberry Soup

This is a refreshing summertime soup, although it has some historical connection to fireside apres-ski socializing. The recipe can triple or more for larger crowds. Having eight blueberry bushes in the garden helps with that.

For the soup:

2 cups blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups water
8 thin lemon slices
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Prepare this soup at least four hours ahead (the day before is best). Fresh berries are a good choice, but frozen berries will work. A whole cinnamon stick may be substituted for the ground cinnamon.

Put the blueberries, water, sugar, lemon slices and cinnamon into a saucepan. Bring it to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Lower the heat to a strong simmer and cook uncovered for another 20 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. The berries should soften and release their juice.

Strain through a sieve, colander or several layers of cheesecloth into a large bowl. Squeeze the solids a bit to get all the juice, but do not force things overmuch by pressing the solids fiercely against the sieve. You want the juice, not the solids, which can actually detract.

Discard the solids. Let the liquid cool, then pour into a storage container, cover tightly and refrigerate for eight hours or overnight to let the flavors mature and blend.

To serve:

1/2 cup good red wine
1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

To serve, pour the prepared soup into a large mixing bowl. Add the wine and sour cream or yogurt. Whisk well until thoroughly blended. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt and fresh berries, if you like.

Makes two dinner-size servings or four soup course portions.