Refreshing Strawberry Soup for the Royal Foodie Joust

It's time again for another Royal Foodie Joust
hosted by the Leftover Queen.

This month's ingredients are:
Berries   Balsamic Vinegar   Whole grain flour

* Entries are due by noon EST on the 1st of each month. 
* Voting takes place on the forum from the 1st through the 5th. 
* If you'd like to participate next month, see the Royal Foodie Joust link above.


This month, I made a cold dessert soup.

Strawberry Soup w/ Balsamic Berries & Cinnamon Twists

The berries are obviously found in the soup and in the berry garnish.  The balsamic vinegar is found in the balsamic-macerated berries as well as added to the soup for balance.  The whole grain flour, in the form of whole wheat flour, is found in the tortilla cinnamon twists.  I also added a palmful of milled flax seed for good measure.

If you think this is just a smoothie in a bowl, think again!  The soup was refreshingly sweet yet tart at the same time.  All of the components together provided complex flavors that my family--even The Boy--enjoyed.

A friend gave me the soup recipe many years ago.  She coaxed it out of the owner of a tea room.  However, I botched my grocery list and had to wing the base of the soup.  The original recipe calls for sour cream.  My carton still sits in the store's refrigerator. 

I had to use a mix of things.  
Yogurt (ok...and a couple of tubes of Scooby Doo "Rawberry" Gogurt I swiped from The Boy while he was at school) and crema (heavy cream and buttermilk, allowed to sit at room temp), which I frantically put together after saying some not so nice things.  And slamming a few things around because some days are like that.  Even in Australia Louisiana. 

So you see, I really needed this soothing, cooling soup.

I followed my old standby tortilla recipe, subbing half of the white flour with whole wheat.  About 2 tbsp of milled flax seed also went in because I figured as long as we're being healthy and all...

After cooking the tortillas, I cut them into thin strips, sprayed with cooking spray (although when I empty a can I always vow never to buy another), sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, and baked until crisp.

This soup is also being submitted to

Kahakai Kitchen for the weekly 
Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays roundup.

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Strawberry Soup w/ Balsamic Berries & Cinnamon Twists

from Ms. EnPlace

The Soup:
1 12 oz package of fresh strawberries, washed, hulled, & divided
5 Tbsp powdered sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla
12 oz sour cream, yogurt, or crema OR a mix of some or all of them
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, or to taste (for balance)

Remove four strawberries and set aside.  Place the remaining berries in a blender and puree along with the powdered sugar, vanilla, and half & half.Pulse in the sour cream, yogurt, or crema (or mix) until combined.  Add the balsamic vinegar, mix, and taste.  Add more balsamic if desired.  Chill soup for a couple of hours before serving.

The Tortilla Cinnamon Twists:
Follow the tortilla recipe here, using 1 cup of whole wheat flour, 1 cup of white flour, and about 2 Tbsp milled flax seed (optional).  Cook as directed, then...

Cut the tortillas into thin strips.  Place on a baking sheet and coat with cooking spray.  Mix 1/2 tsp cinnamon with 1 1/2 tsp sugar (1:3 cinnamon to sugar) and sprinkle on the tortilla strips.  Make curvy snakes with each strip and bake at 375 for about 10 minutes (until crisp).

The Balsamic Berries:
4 reserved strawberries, sliced or chopped
about 1/4 c blueberries
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
2-3 Tbsp sugar

About 15-20 minutes before serving, mix the vinegar and sugar until the sugar dissolves.  Add both berries.  Toss gently to coat.  Let stand 15-20 minutes.

The Whole Deal:

Mound 1-2 Tbsp of the balsamic berries in the middle of a shallow bowl.  Carefully pour soup around the berries.  Top with a few cinnamon tortilla twists.  Serve right away.