Watermelon and Berry Soup

This is a wonderful, easy recipe. Dairy free, no cook, quick to make! Perfect for entertaining in the summer. I "adjusted" the original of this recipe which came from "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone", a fabulous cookbook by Deborah Madison which won Julia Child and James Beard awards (I'm not vegetarian, it's just a great book!). I always keep Costco's 3 Berry Mix in my freezer. I use these frozen berries, but use fresh if you prefer. I like the texture the thawing berry's have in the soup as well as the unexpected chill they add to each bite. This is really an easy recipe to adapt, be creative, go wild! * Note: I bought a VitaMix and pureed the watermelon, but it completely liquified. You want a puree, not liquid, so "pulses" is important, maybe on lowest setting. You can almost make a puree just by mashing the pulp if you don't have a blender.

• Ready In: 20 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 6  cups watermelon, seeded and cut in chunks
• 1 -3  lime (lemons can be used)
• 1  pinch salt
• 2  cups  frozen berries (I like Costco's blueberry, marionberry, raspberry mix. Use fresh berries if you prefer)
• 3  tablespoons light brown sugar (a little more or less is fine)
• 1  dash rose water (or orange flower water)
• 2  lbs watermelon (more or less)
• 4  mint sprigs, chopped (lemon verbena is nice as well)

Directions

1. Puree the watermelon chunks (a blender works fine) and pour the puree into a bowl.
2. Starting with 1/2 a lime, add lime juice to taste.
3. Add a pinch of salt.
4. Cover and refrigerate until quite chilled and ready to serve.
5. Seed the remaining watermelon and cut into bite sized chunks. Refrigerate until serving.
6. For Frozen Berries:
7. About 45 minutes before serving, in a smallish bowl toss the berries with the brown sugar and a squeeze of lime and stir. Just leave on the counter to macerate (create juice/syrup). This should allow the berries to thaw, yet not quite completely. But hey, if they totally thaw, they thaw, it still tastes great.
8. For Fresh Berries:
9. In a smallish bowl toss the berries with the brown sugar and a squeeze of lime and stir. Cover and place in the refrigerator to macerate (create juice/syrup). This could be done the night before.
10. Before serving taste your berries and syrup and add the rosewater (or orange flower water) to taste and more lime if needed.
11. To Serve: Divide the watermelon puree among chilled soup bowls and add the watermelon pieces, then the berries on top with a drizzle of berry syrup. Top with a garnish of chopped mint or lemon verbena.