Le Viaduc Café's

Peach and Nectarine Soup with a Sauce of Red Berries and Fresh Mint

This dessert soup may be served warm or chilled. A scoop or two of fruit sorbet would do no harm.

4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds raspberries, blackberries and/or strawberries
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 quart water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 bunch fresh mint
• 3 peaches, unpeeled
• 3 nectarines, unpeeled

Puree the berries, confectioners' sugar and lemon juice together in a food processor until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pass through a strainer to remove the seeds. Set aside.

Put the water, sugar and half the mint leaves in a large saucepan and bring to a boil.

Add the peaches and nectarines to the water-and-sugar mixture and poach for 3 minutes.

Remove the peaches and nectarines from the liquid and peel them. Remove the pits, and cut the fruit into quarters.

Add the berry syrup to the simple syrup (sugar and water) and heat until reduced by half. Pour through a strainer to remove the mint leaves.

Divide the peaches and nectarines among 4 soup dishes and ladle the fruit soup on top. Cut the remaining fresh mint leaves into thin strips and scatter over the soup.