Blueberry soup--blåbärssoppa--mustikkakeitto

This is a really easy and delicious way to eat berries, and a rather low-calorie and nutritious dessert, too.  In Finland, you can buy blueberry soup in any grocery store next to the milk products.  Other popular fruit soup flavors include raspberry, mixed forest berries, and strawberry.  Gooseberries or rhubarb are also really good in this soup.  The basic process is the same for any kind of fruit that you want to substitute with.

I used some really large blueberries that grow on the high bush plants in the Ozarks because I had these in my freezer.  In Finland, the berries would probably be the smaller, wild variety.  Both taste good in this recipe, it is hard to mess up this fruit soup!

Boil these ingredients for 10 minutes over medium heat:

2 cups water (5 dl)
2 cups blueberries (or substitute other berries if you want!) (5dl)
3 tablespoons sugar

I used a medium-sized saucepan and added the blueberries right away because they were frozen, but didn't start counting the time until they came to a boil.  If you use fresh berries, it is probably better to let the water boil first, then stir in the other ingredients.

To thicken the soup, stir together in a small bowl:

3 tablespoons cornstarch or potato starch
3 tablespoons cold water

I used potato starch this time.  After you mix the thickener very well, take a tablespoon-full of the hot soup and mix it into the cold thickener.  This tempers the mixture and makes it less likely to clump.

Now pour the tempered thickener into the hot soup, stirring constantly until the soup thickens.  This is the same process used to thicken broth for lump-free gravies.

If you find that the soup is a little too thick, you can always stir in a little more water.  Fruit soups continue to thicken as they cool.

We love to eat fruit soup with a little whipped cream, but yesterday I made this as a special after-school treat with small Finnish pancakes that are a lot like mini crepes.  That recipe will be my next post.