Chilled Cherry Soup with Chipotle Crema

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Recipe By: Highlands Garden Cafe

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

4 cups water

4 bags green tea

1 orange, cut in half

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

5 whole cloves, pressed into the orange

1 pound plus 1 cup dark cherries, pitted

1/2 teaspoon chipotle sauce (from canned chipotles, preferably in Adobo Sauce)

1/2 teaspoon fresh orange zest

4 tablespoons crème Fraiche or sour cream

Directions:

In a saucepan bring the water, the tea, the coriander seeds, orange, cloves and one pound cherries to a boil.

Remove from heat and let the ingredients steep for one hour.

Strain soup. Press solids to remove more liquid.     

Return to boil. When the soup boils, lower the heat to a simmer and reduce by half.

Add remaining one cup cherries and puree in blender.

Chill the soup and ladle into martini glasses.

To make the crema, remove the chipotle pepper and seeds from the sauce. Fold the chipolte sauce (to taste) into the creme Fraiche. This will be just slightly smoky. For more heat and flavor puree one chipotle pepper in the sauce and then fold into the creme Fraiche.

Spoon the crema onto the soup and top with orange zest.