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School of tapas: Melon soup shots

>> Friday, July 15, 2011

Melon soup 1

This is no traditional tapa. But due to the wild popularity tapas enjoy and the endless variations on the same theme found nowadays, sometimes small glasses or shots of cold soups or creams are also seen served as a tapa or appetizer before a copious meal. When summer is already at full speed and you long for cold and fresh drinks and dishes, a shot of chilled soup might be exactly what you need. This simple melon soup is prepared by processing melon, white wine, honey, lemon juice and salt to a pureé. It doesn't call for the use of any heat in the kitchen, which is something I am quite thankful for when temperature rises above 85 degrees.


Melon soup 2

The recipe is inspired in this Spanish website for Mediterranean cuisine.


Melon soup shots 
Yields 8 servings

  • 1 small melon *
  • 2/5 cup (100ml) good white wine
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 pinches salt
  • 1 thin slice good Serrano ham
Melon soup 3
  1. Cut the melon in wedges and discard the seeds. Scoop out the flesh and transfer it to a food processor or blender.
  2. Add the wine, the honey, the lemon juice and the salt. Process to a fine pureé. Chill thoroughly before serving. 
  3. For the jamón serrano garnish, place a slice of jamón on a plate lined with 2 sheets of kitchen paper. Cover with more paper and microwave it briefly, until dry and crispy. Crumble the jamón by hand and sprinkle the "shards" on top of the melon soup shots. 
* Regarding the melon used, Spanish melons are egg shaped and quite large in size. A "small" melon can easily weigh 5 pounds.

Porrón

For a more "sophisticated" experience, previously chill the serving glasses in the freezer. The contrast between the sweetness of the soup and the saltiness of the jamón is simply superb. Serve with a glass of chilled dry Sherry. And enjoy...

15 comentarios:

Nisrine July 15, 2011 at 7:30 PM  

These are gorgeous pictures, Miriam. And melon is one of my summer's favorite flavors.

Simply beautiful!

Frank July 15, 2011 at 8:57 PM  

Looks and sounds absolutely enchanting...!

Aniko July 15, 2011 at 9:15 PM  

Thnks for this nice recipe. Beautiful photos!!

FOODalogue July 15, 2011 at 10:12 PM  

Today I made traditional tapas chorizos y gambas al ajillo. This would have made a perfect and refreshing accompaniment. I will keep it in mind for the future.

Miriam, your photos are always great but these are especially appealing. Bravo!

Koci July 16, 2011 at 6:53 AM  

This soup sounds so lovely! Something like these shots would make such a great summer appetizer. Yum!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) July 16, 2011 at 4:11 PM  

I first saw this over at Honest Cooking Miriam, an intriguing post, recipe and shots.

Tasty Trix July 17, 2011 at 4:27 PM  

Here's a funny thing - I skipped French Fridays with Dorie this week because the melon soup sounded rather dreadful to me, but this soup shot looks SO good! Because it's just a small bit perhaps? Or ... ah, the ham! Lovely.

Aldy July 18, 2011 at 9:58 AM  

Delightful!!!Que belleza de Tapas, Miriam- Una delicia total :)

Abrazos,

Aldy.

Katie Thacher July 21, 2011 at 8:35 PM  

What a perfect idea! I have done chilled melon soup with crispy prosciutto, but adding white wine to the mix sounds delicious. Thanks for the recipe, and I'm excited to keep reading your blog.

Cristina, from Buenos Aires to Paris July 23, 2011 at 9:24 AM  

You are doing a great job with this tapas saga. I think you must find it infuriating (at least I do, and I'm not Spanish!) when you see every day a new "tapas" restaurant, and the so called tapas are such an insult to Spanish traditions and cooking...
We want more of your true tapas!!

Claudie July 24, 2011 at 11:04 PM  

Those shots are gorgeous! I'm absolutely doing them this summer :)

Life Images by Jill August 4, 2011 at 1:45 AM  

I saw this on Dario;s food photography critique - and so it has brought me to your blog. And the story behind the pic. Your blog looks delicous, so I am going to link it to my blog, and come back a little later when I have more time to explore. It is wonderful to make another contact with a foodie photographer.

Life Images by Jill August 4, 2011 at 1:46 AM  

one question - what sort of melon - if have lots of different types. thanks.

Miriam August 4, 2011 at 1:35 PM  

Hi Jill: any sort of melon is good, the result will be slightly different, but equally tasty.

Jonny August 11, 2011 at 1:24 PM  

I was about to ask the same question as Jill, so instead I'll say that even though it's 7.30 in the morning and they contain wine, I could knock a couple of these back and feel like I'd had a healthy breakfast.

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