№ 51[Auksta zupa 4: avenes ar vīnu]

Chilled raspberry soup with wine Serves 4 · 1½ hours, plus chilling · Adapted from the 1796 recipe; not yet tested.

The book gives no quantities; the amounts below are ours.

Ingredients

• 750 g raspberries
• 400 ml water
• 300 ml dry white wine (or a light red)
• 80–120 g sugar, to taste
• To serve: 8–12 small almond macaroons or amaretti

Method

1. Put the raspberries in a heatproof bowl, cover it and set it over a pan of simmering water without touching the water. Leave for 15–20 minutes, until the berries have swollen, burst and given up their juice. 2. Tip them into a fine sieve set over a saucepan and press the juice through. Throw away the seeds. 3. Add the water, wine and sugar to the juice, bring to the boil and simmer gently, partly covered, for 1 hour (see Notes). Skim off any foam. 4. Pour into a serving bowl, let it cool, then chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours. 5. Just before serving, put the macaroons into the soup.

Notes

• What the book says vs. what we added: the book sets a pot of raspberries in boiling water until the berries swell and burst, presses out the juice and boils it with water, wine and sugar for a whole hour. It is left to cool in a bowl, and almond macaroons go in when it comes to the table. The partial lid, the fridge and all the amounts are ours.
• The hour: a long time by today's taste. It gives a deeper, jammy flavour and cooks off much of the alcohol, though not all. For a fresher taste, 15–20 minutes is enough, but that departs from the book.
• Name: the printed Aweeschi could be read as avieši or aveži; either way it means raspberries.
• Macaroons: the book's Mandelu-Makrones are almond macaroons. Crisp amaretti are a good substitute; they soften in the soup.