Refreshing Strawberry Soup

Four ingredients. No stove. Just a food processor and two cups of cold strawberries.

This chilled soup is all about the buttermilk, which gives it a tangy, almost yogurt-like body that keeps it from tasting like a plain fruit smoothie. The acidity brightens the strawberries and makes them taste more intensely like themselves. A few teaspoons of sugar smooth the edges, and a scattering of fresh mint on top adds a cool, herbal note.

Use the ripest, most fragrant strawberries you can find. Since there’s nowhere for mediocre fruit to hide in a recipe this simple, peak-season berries make all the difference. Serve it in chilled bowls for the full effect.

Pro Tips

• Chill everything before blending: the strawberries, the buttermilk, even the bowl. Cold ingredients stay thick instead of turning watery.
• Taste before serving and adjust sugar. Sweeter berries need less; tart early-season berries may need a bit more.
• This soup thickens as it sits in the fridge, so blend it slightly thinner than you want the final result.

Variations

• Swap strawberries for raspberries, cantaloupe, honeydew, or ripe nectarines.
• Add a splash of balsamic vinegar (just a teaspoon) for a deeper, more complex flavor.
• Stir in a tablespoon of honey instead of sugar for a rounder sweetness.