Yin Yang Melon Soup Recipes

HARLEQUIN SOUP

Steps:

• To serve the Harlequin Soup:
• Ladle some of each soup into its own pitcher. Pour both soups simultaneously into each of 6 bowls, creating a swirled almost yin-yang like appearance.
• Garnish with chives and serve hot.
• Cut the broccoli florets from the stems. Peel the tough outer skin from the stems and trim off the fibrous ends. Cut the stems lengthwise into slices about 1/2-inch thick and then crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces.
• Heat the olive oil and butter in a soup pot over medium-high heat until hot. Add the garlic and cook until light brown. Add the onion and celery, lower the heat to medium, and season with salt and pepper. Cook the vegetables slowly until tender, about 10 minutes. Regulate the heat so the vegetables cook without taking on color.
• Add the thyme and stir. Add the broccoli stems, stock, and salt and pepper, to taste, and bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, for about 3 minutes. Add the florets and continue to cook until very tender, about 5 minutes more.
• Puree the soup in a blender in small batches. Add some of the spinach and some of the lemon zest to each batch and then puree it. (The soup can be made to this point, covered, and refrigerated for up to 1 day or frozen for up to 1 month.)
• Return the soup to the pan and reheat over gentle heat. Stir in the cream. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
• To serve:
• 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese, optional
• 2 tablespoons toasted pumpkin seeds, optional
• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until hot. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and cinnamon stick and saute until soft but not brown, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add the chicken stock and the coriander, if using, and bring to a boil. Simmer for several minutes. Stir in the squash until smooth, then simmer gently to let the flavors meld, about 10 minutes. Discard the cinnamon stick.
• Puree the soup in a blender until smooth. (The soup can be made ahead to this point, cooled, covered, and refrigerated for several days or frozen for about 1 month. It will thicken as it cools and may need thinning with stock or water when reheating.)
• Return the soup to the pan and reheat gently. Add the half-and-half, if using. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Keep warm until service.
• To serve:
• Ladle the soup into serving bowls. Garnish evenly, with the cheese and pumpkin seeds, if desired.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Peel the squash with a vegetable peeler. Halve lengthwise, discard the seeds, then cut into 1-inch dice. Place in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter ceases to foam and has turned a light brown, pull the pan off the heat and immediately add the sage, sugar, vinegar (stand back so as not to get splattered), molasses and toasted spice rub. Mix well and let simmer over medium-low heat for 1 to 2 minutes to meld the flavors.
• Pour the vinegar mixture over the squash and toss well, then transfer to a heavy rimmed baking sheet or baking dish large enough to hold the squash in a single layer. Place in the oven and roast, tossing at least once, until very tender and caramelized, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Set aside until cool enough to handle but still warm, so the liquids are runny.
• Working in batches, if necessary, transfer the warm squash and all the cooking liquids to a food processor and process until smooth. Use immediately, refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
• Serving suggestions: Serve the puree on its own as a side dish for roast chicken, turkey, or pork; stir into polenta just before the end of cooking; use as a stuffing for ravioli; make into a soup; or use to flavor pastina. Or omit the sage, season with ground cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg to taste, and use as a substitute for canned pumpkin in your favorite pumpkin pie recipe.
• Variation for Smoky Butternut Squash: Cook the prepared squash on a baking sheet in a covered grill with soaked chips to give a slightly smoky taste. Substitute in any of the recipes that call for roasted squash. If cooking kabocha, acorn, or other difficult-to-peel squash, cut in half, scoop out the seeds, and rub the insides and cut edges with the vinegar/molasses mixture. Place on a baking sheet, cut sides up, and roast at 400 degrees F until tender. Scoop out and puree.
• Toast the fennel seeds, coriander seeds, and peppercorns in a small, heavy pan over medium heat. When the fennel turns light brown, work quickly. Turn on the exhaust fan, add the red pepper flakes, and toss, toss, toss, always under the fan. Immediately turn the spice mixture out onto a plate to cool.
• Put mixture into a blender with the chili powder, salt, and cinnamon and blend until the spices are evenly ground. If you have a small spice mill or a coffee grinder dedicated to grinding spices, grind only the fennel, coriander, pepper, and chili flakes. Pour into a bowl and toss with the remaining ingredients. Keep the spice mix in a glass jar in a cool, dry place, or freeze.
• Taste your chili powder before adding and, if spicy and hot, cut back the amount. California chilies are almost sweet, not hot.

YIN-YANG MELON SOUP

Steps:

• In a food processor or blender, puree the green melon with the mint, lime juice and 1 tbsp.
• of the sugar.
• Pour into a pitcher and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
• Rinse out the blender.
• Add the orange melon, lemon juice and the remaining 1 tbsp.
• of sugar and puree.
• Pour into a pitcher and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
• At the same time, pour both soups from opposite sides into shallow bowls, taking care to keep them from mixing, and serve.
• The soups can be refrigerated overnight.

YIN YANG SOUP

Steps:

• Tomato Soup: In a saucepan, heat oil. Sweat onions, ginger, garlic, and green onions until glossy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add lime leaf and lemongrass. Continue to sweat another minute. Add the tomatoes, and tomato paste, and season with salt, pepper, and sugar. Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Remove the lime leaf and lemongrass. Transfer to a blender, add butter, and chile oil, and process to a puree. Strain through a chinois and chill over a bowl of ice. Reserve.
• To make the Pea Soup: In a saucepan, heat oil. Sweat onions, ginger, garlic, and green onions until glossy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add Thai basil and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, and add peas. Season with salt, pepper, and sugar. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove Thai basil. Transfer to a blender, add butter, and process to a puree. Strain through a chinois and chill over a bowl of ice.
• To prepare the Lobster Salad: In a bowl, combine the lobster meat, mango, and Thai basil. Add 1/4 cup of Asian vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper. Chill until ready to serve.
• To serve: Place a 2-inch mold ring in center of soup plate. Spoon the lobster salad inside the ring. Press to mold. Ladle the soups on each side of ring. Decorate soup by placing a spoonful of contrasting soups over plated soups. In a bowl, mix the herbs and micro greens with Asian Vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper. Top lobster salad with micro green mixture and a slice of fried lotus root. Carefully remove ring. Serve immediately.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sesame oil, peanut oil, soy sauce, and lemon juice. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Reserve until ready to use.

YIN-YANG SALMON

Steps:

• Stir together the hot sauce, brown sugar, butter, honey, and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir continuously for 3 to 4 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is well blended. Remove from heat, and set aside.
• Coat a casserole dish with olive oil. Poke holes in the salmon with a fork, then place into the dish. Pour reserved sauce over the fish, top with green onions, and season with salt and pepper. Marinate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 C).
• Bake salmon in preheated oven, uncovered, until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 25 minutes.

YELLOW-AND-RED-PEPPER YIN-YANG SOUP

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine the yellow peppers, cumin, 1 pinch of the sugar and 2 cups of the stock. In another small saucepan, combine the red peppers, chipotle, remaining pinch sugar and remaining 2 cups stock. Place both pans over medium heat, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the peppers are very tender, about 25 minutes. Remove both pans from the heat and allow to cool.
• Transfer the yellow-pepper mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve back into the pan, pressing the solids with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids. Repeat the process with red-pepper mixture.
• Place both pans over medium-low heat and stir 1/2 cup cream into each saucepan. Season to taste with salt and pepper; do not boil.
• Warm 6 wide soup bowls. Using 4 layers of aluminum foil, fashion a divider that will fit securely in bowls, dividing each in half. Place divider in one bowl. Pour 1/2 cup yellow soup into a cup with a spout. Pour 1/2 cup red soup into another cup with a spout. Simultaneously pour each soup into separate halves of bowl. Carefully remove divider. Garnish yellow half of the soup with 1/2 teaspoon red caviar (or brunoise of red pepper). Garnish red half with 1/2 teaspoon sevruga caviar (or brunoise of yellow pepper). Sprinkle with chives. Repeat with all bowls and serve.

YIN & YANG

Steps:

• Place salty side of ritz cracker down.
• Cover the other side with cool whip.
• Try to put it all in your mouth at one time.