Chilled Spiced Peach Mango Soup - shana tova

This scrumption soup requires advanced planning on two fronts: you need to buy the peaches & mango several days in advance, and you need to make it far enough ahead that it’s really chilled by serving time.  It is light but very flavorful, nice if you'll be having a heavy holiday feast.  I served it for our first Rosh Hashanah dinner at 6622 - peaches are in season for Rosh Hashanah, not just apples.

1/2 cup sliced almonds (alternative: toasted coconut)

1 T olive oil

6 large, ripe peaches - the riper the better [this can take up to a week!]
2 ripe bananas or a large ripe mango, peeled and diced
1⅓ cup orange juice OR grape juice
1 lime OR lime juice
2¾ tbsp honey
2 T Amaretto liqueur or peach brandy or Cointreau
1/2 c. water or more

1¼ tsp  ground ginger OR a t. of fresh grated ginger
¼ tsp  cardamom
¼ tsp  cinnamon

pinch of salt

pinch of cloves 
⅔  cup buttermilk, soy yogurt, or regular yogurt for garnish , optional

Optional garnish: mint sprigs

1.     Put the peaches in a pot or bowl and pour boiling water over them.  Cool enough to touch.  This is an easy way to peel them – if they are really ripe, the peels will slip off.

2.     In small skillet, toast almonds in oil over medium heat, stirring often, until golden, about 3 minutes. Set aside. 

  

4.     In large saucepan, add the peaches and bananas/mangos, squeezing the ripe fruit as you drop it in, so the pulp is mashed. Add orange or grape juice, squeezed lime juice, honey, liqueur, water, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, and pinch of salt and of cloves; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until peaches are very soft, about 12 minutes. Let cool. 

5.     Using an immersion blender, purée until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until cold, about 4 hours. If it’s very thick, you can add ice cubes to the batch.  I often refrigerate chilled soup in a large glass pitcher - just make sure the ladle will fit through the top.

6.      Ladle into bowls. Drop in a dollop of yogurt or buttermilk, and swirl it to make a design. Sprinkle with toasted almonds, coconut, and mint. This year we used starfruit for the shehecheyanu and it would make a fun garnish.

Source, though I modified the recipe: http://www.canadianliving.com/food/chilled_spiced_peach_soup.php