Fruktsoppa (Old-Fashioned Fruit Soup)
Submitted by gchianes
Fruktsoppa is a traditional Swedish fruit soup with dried apricots, prunes, raisins, currants, and fresh apple simmered with cinnamon and thickened with tapioca. Served chilled as a light dessert.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
35 minCOOK
15 minREADY
60 minFruktsoppa is a Swedish classic that Americans rarely encounter, and that’s a shame. Dried apricots, prunes, raisins, and currants simmer gently with cinnamon and lemon slices until they plump up and release their sweetness into a lightly thickened broth.
Quick-cooking tapioca gives the soup its distinctive body, turning the soaking liquid into something silky that coats each piece of fruit without feeling starchy. Fresh apple slices go in near the end so they soften but still hold their shape.
This is served cold, which might sound strange for a soup, but chilling concentrates the fruit flavors and makes it incredibly refreshing as a dessert or afternoon snack.
Kitchen Tips
- Soak the dried fruit for the full 30 minutes. They need time to absorb water and soften before cooking, or they’ll stay tough.
- Use a stainless steel or enamel pot, not aluminum. The fruit acids react with aluminum and can give the soup a metallic taste.
- Stir occasionally during simmering to prevent the tapioca from clumping and the fruit from sticking to the bottom.
- Remove the cinnamon stick before chilling. Leaving it in makes the cinnamon flavor overpowering after hours in the fridge.
Variations
- Add fresh or frozen raspberries after cooking for a brighter, more colorful soup.
- Stir in a splash of lingonberry juice for a more traditionally Scandinavian flavor.
- Serve warm during winter months as a comforting dessert with a dollop of whipped cream.
Ingredients
Directions
Soak the dried apricots and prunes in 6 cups cold water for 30 minutes.
Since the dried fruit expands considerably as it absorbs the soaking liquid, you will need a saucepan (of stainless steel or enamel) with a capacity of at least 3 quarts.
Add the cinammon stick, lemon slices, tapioca and sugar and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to prevent the fruits from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Stir in the raisins, currants and apples slices and simmer an additional 5 minutes, or until the apples are tender and offer no resistance when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife or skewer.
Pour the contents of the saucepan into a large serving bowl and let cool to room temperature.
Remove the cinammon stick, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate to chill.
Serve the fruit soup in compote dishes or soup bowls as a light year-round dessert.
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