I'm looking for a great recipe for watermelon soup.  It would (of
course) be a chilled soup recipe.

NOTE: All of the recipes that I've found so far add way too many
ingredients (wine, other strong tasting sweet fruits, cinnamon, etc)
that take away from the crisp and lightly sweet nature of good
watermelon.  I DON'T WANT ANYTHING LIKE THIS.  I want simple!  Other
ingredients are fine, but by far, the essence has to remain
WATERMELON.

The perfect recipe will let me close my eyes and see a late Spring /
early Summer day when I taste it.

Multiple recipes are encouraged.

Thanks!

Hi there!

One of my favorite things about cooking is that you can modify
virtually any recipe to suit your tastes.  Finding one that didn't
include something that could be considered "overpowering" (and I do
agree that the wine is a bit much!) proved to be a bit harder than I
thought, but I've found a few that I think will suit, and have
suggested modifications to help ensure that the major taste is that of
yummy sweet watermelon.

My first stop in the search was my extensive cookbook collection.  I
thought for certain that one of the CIA cookbooks would have
something, but neither the second nor seventh editions (which are
wildly different!) offered watermelon soup.  Neither did any of my
other books, including the vegetarian ones, to my surprise.

So back to the 'net.

For space and copyright considerations, I will only reproduce the
ingredients lists and suggested modifications here (enclosed in [ ] ),
and include links to the recipes and preparation instructions.  If one
of these suits your fancy, just click the included link to see how it
is prepared:

Jeweled Watermelon Soup
-----------------------

1 pink grapefruit
1 pomegranate [ completely optional, for garnish ]
6 cups 1-inch cubes watermelon, seeded
Juice of 1 lime
2 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar

Jeweled Watermelon Soup (about the middle of the page)
http://www.fha.state.md.us/ocd/cardio/html/summerrecipes.html?print=yes

Strawberry-Watermelon Soup
--------------------------

4 cups watermelons, chunks seeded
2 tablespoons sugar
1 pint strawberry, hulled
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 lemon, juice of
mint sprig

Strawberry-Watermelon Soup
http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/getrecipe.zsp?id=57455


The Artist's Inn Chilled Watermelon Soup
----------------------------------------

6 cups watermelon, seeded and cubed
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 bunch of fresh chocolate mint [ this variety of mint is hard to
find.  You can use spearmint or peppermint ]
1 Tbsp sugar
1/3 cup white wine [ can substitute light cream ]
Dash of ground ginger

The Artist's Inn Chilled Watermelon Soup
http://www.estherslegacy.homestead.com/TheArtistsInnChilledWatermelon.html


Chilled Cucumber Watermelon Soup
--------------------------------

1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons Splenda [ substitute sugar ]
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
7 cups peeled seedless watermelon, ½ inch chunks [ increase to 8 cups
]
2 cups finely diced cucumbers (english or ontario greenhouse, about
one long cucumber) [ decrease to one cup ]

(The cucumber helps add body and texture to the soup, without
overpowering the watermelon.)

Chilled Cucumber Watermelon Soup
http://fitdv.recipezaar.com/recipe/getrecipe.zsp?id=68348

Watermelon Soup
----------------

6 cups  Very cold watermelon juice (make this from chilled, seeded
watermelon.  Puree it, then strain in a cheesecloth)

1 3/4  cups  Buttermilk -- preferably Bulgarian style -- or plain
yogurt [ for a less tangy taste, definitely use the yogurt. ]
1  tablespoon    Gin (optional)
1/2  teaspoon      Rose water (optional) [ highly recommend this. 
Imparts a delicate, sweet taste, without being sugary. ]
1 pinch Salt

Watermelon Soup
http://fp.enter.net/~rburk/soups/fruitsoups/watermel.txt

Watermelon Soup with Ginger and Mint
------------------------------------

# 4 c seeded watermelon chunks & juice
# 2 tbs lemon juice
# 2 tbs chopped fresh spearmint
# 1 tbs sugar
# 1/3 c white wine [ substitute light cream ]
# 1-1/2" fresh ginger root, sliced- 1/8" thick [ skip this if you
don't like ginger.  It doesn't stay in the soup, it's used to infuse
the soup with a delicate hint of ginger. ]
# Fresh spearmint springs for garnish

Watermelon Soup with Ginger and Mint
http://www.jewish-food.org/recipes/melonso2.htm

Chilled Watermelon Soup
------------------------

*  2 pounds seedless watermelon, diced
*  1 mango, diced [ adds body and texture without overpowering the
watermelon ]
*  ½ ounce ginger, grated [ skip if you don't like ginger, or
substitute finely chopped fresh spearmint ]
*  8 ounces peach, apricot or berry puree [ suggest strawberry, as it
complements the watermelon nicely ]
*  2 kumquats, sliced [ completely optional, for garnish ]
*  Edible flowers for garnish [ likewise optional ]

Chilled Watermelon Soup
http://www.jfolse.com/recipes/soups/fruit04.htm


Chilled Watermelon Soup
-----------------------

2 cups seeded Watermelon Cubes [ increase to 2.5 cups ]
1-Cup Strawberries
1-Cup Cantaloupe [ decrease to 1/2 cup ]
1/3 Cup Apple juice
2 tablespoons fresh limejuice
1 teaspoon Chopped Fresh Mint
½ teaspoon Ground Ginger [ optional ]
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon Lemon Extract 

Chilled Watermelon Soup
http://gold.zidaho.com/kitchen/zidahor-aug0503-watermelonsoup.fc8ef66d.html


There are also a couple that don't qualify as simple by any stretch,
but if you're feeling adventurous later, you might want to have a
look:

Watermelon Soup (summery, but very complex)
http://magazines.ivillage.com/victoria/recipefinder/recipe/0,13485,401518,00.html


Watermelon-Blackberry Soup
http://veggietable.allinfo-about.com/recipes/watermelonblackberrysoup.html

I hope one (or several!) of these recipes strike your fancy!  If you
require further assistance or would like help in additional tweaking
for any of these recipes, please don't hesitate to ask for
clarification.  I'll be glad to help!

--Missy

Search terms: [ "watermelon soup" recipe ], and a meander through my
own cookbooks

Thanks, missy-ga.  Like you, I searched my own cookbooks and the web,
too.  Fruits like strawberries and spices such as ginger have to be
used very carefully; each have very distinct and strong flavors that I
don't want in my end product (tho, after my experiments, I may opt for
hints of these flavors).  I suppose that with careful monitoring, this
won't happen.

Thanks for the research.  I'll try most of these.

This is one of the simplest recipes I know, but the result is
wonderful. Very refreshing on a hot summer day.

EASY WATERMELON SOUP

Remove rind and all seeds from 4 pounds of watermelon. Cut the melon
into bite-sized chunks. Add 1 6-ounce can of frozen limeade and 1
teaspoon of salt. Puree in a blender or food processor. Chill and
serve.

Pinkfreud - it seems like the limeade would make it too "citrusy", but
I have an open mind and I'm game for trying it, along with some of the
recipes above (I'll probably go very light on the ginger, if at all).

Thanks for the addition.

vla1, 

It was my pleasure.  I enjoy cooking (as evidenced by a well padded
frame!), and enjoy finding new recipes to play with.

Please do come back and let me know how your experimentation turns out
for you!  It would be great to know which you find the most appealing.

--Missy