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| I later took a bunch of pictures of a serving size of this soup. But I neglected to retrieve them from my camera before leaving the house in search of internet. |
Peach Curry Soup
Adapted from Mad’s Peach-Curry Soup
Ingredients:
Olive oil
1/4 cup curry powder
1 Tbsp. chili powder
2- 1/2 large onions, minced
7 cloves garlic, minced
2-1/2 (15 oz.) cans chopped peaches in lite syrup (not drained)
2-1/2 tsp. ground ginger
2-1/2 cups coconut milk
2-1/2 cups chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
Cinnamon and nutmeg to taste
Cayenne to taste (optional)
Directions:
Pour oil into a large pot over medium heat. I didn’t measure
the oil, but I probably used somewhere between 2 and 4 Tbsp. Add the curry
powder and chili powder and heat for about a minute. Add the onion and garlic
and cook until the onions become transparent, about 8-10 minutes. This is when
it will start to smell amazing!
Add peaches, peach syrup, ginger, coconut milk, and broth.
Simmer on low for 45 minutes, adding salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, and
cayenne as needed. I left out the cayenne entirely and thought it had plenty of
kick. If you have more than my miniscule heat tolerance, though, you’ll
probably want to add some cayenne.
Yield: 10 servings
Verdict: Good! I
wasn’t sure what to expect, having never made peach curry—or any sort of peach
soup—before. But I thought it turned out well. My only real dissapointment was in
the lack of creaminess. The coconut milk I bought initially was much more
watery than I expect from canned coconut milk. It actually reminded me of the
coconut juice (for lack of a better term) that characterizes soups in Papua New
Guinea. They grate fresh coconut flesh into a bowl, add water,
spend some time squeezing out the milk into the water, discard the coconut
flesh, and use the milky water as a base for soup and/or to cook rice. It’s
delicious—and the next time I want to make coconut rice, I’ll buy Goya brand
again. But it was not ideal for adding lots of richness to an Indian-inspired
curry. But I digress. I used about a cup of Goya coconut milk, then ran to the store in search
of a thicker brand. Unfortunately they only had the reduced fat kind. Which was
creamier than the Goya coconut milk but still not what I wanted.
Changes to make next
time: I might puree a portion of the soup to make it thicker. And if I can find some cardamom here without paying an arm and a leg, I would love to add that next time. This soup would be good over rice, and you could easily add chopped chicken at the
beginning or cooked shrimp at the end.
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| I forgot to take a picture of the punch until after most people had gotten a glass. So it actually made a lot more than this! |
Gingery Peach Punch
Ingredients:
1 carton Tropicana Peach Orchard Punch (I think it was a
half gallon), chilled
2 liters ginger ale, chilled
12 oz. orange juice, chilled
Fresh ginger, peeled
1 orange, sliced
Directions:
Dump the liquids into a large bowl and stir to combine.
Either slice or grate the ginger and add. Grating will add more intense ginger
flavor; slicing will make it easier for guests to not get ginger floaties in
their cups. Top with orange slices for garnish. Depending on how big a bowl or
pitcher you own, you may need to start with half of the liquids and replenish
as needed.
Yield: A lot.
There were 9 of us at the peach party, and there was punch left over at the
end.
Verdict: Tasty,
cool, and refreshing! The combination of peaches and ginger is a classic
winning combination. The orange juice added a lovely complementary flavor
without competing. And the ginger ale created a slightly subtle sparkling
effect. Going into the party, I was more excited about the soup, while the
punch was an afterthought—and an experiment! But I got more compliments on the
punch than the soup. I’ll definitely make it again.
Changes to make next
time: The only thing I think I will change is to grate the ginger instead
of slice it. The slices were fine, but grating the ginger would have infused
the punch more with ginger.
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