Whip this one up quickly! Chilly Peach Soup cools from head to toe

What a shocker to the old system! All our days last week were involved with a family trip to beautiful, colorful Colorado, in which the temps, though warm for this time of the year, weren’t 105 degrees as we are experiencing in Texas. One evening as we left for dinner, the thermometer registered 72. Talk about pleasant! When we exited the car at the Denver restaurant, the most exquisite cooling breeze blew about around us. People seemed generally happier; drivers were more courteous. No one had that, “It’s-been-triple-digits-for-days-with-no-end-in-sight-what-are-we- gonna-do?” look on his or her face.

Quick re-entry help was needed when we returned to the Texas furnace. I whipped up some Chilly Peach Soup, which had been on my must-make list to broaden my peach-recipe repertoire. You can’t imagine how soothing this dinner-starter dish was—the most delicious blend of peaches and nectarines with honey, nonfat plain yogurt, lemon juice, and cinnamon stirred in. The only difficult part was the peeling of all the ripe peaches and nectarines; I persuaded Hubby to do this tedious step. Then I stuffed the peeled fruit in the blender to puree until everything was mashed and liquid-y. After all the ingredients were folded in, I let the mixture chill in the fridge for about an hour. Not a long chill-time is needed, since the yogurt and lemon juice already are cold. I garnished with a few peach slices and a few sprinkles of cinnamon.

I could have been dining while seated in a meat locker and not have been more chilled. Chilly Peach Soup cooled from head to toe. Oh, and did I mention that the taste was absolutely divine? In this inferno, no one should be surprised that identifying cooling properties precedes the flavor attributes when one writes about a recipe. But the blend of pureed peaches and nectarines was memorable indeed.

Chilly Peach Soup

3 cups ripe peaches, peeled and sliced

2 cups ripe nectarines, peeled and sliced

2 cups vanilla nonfat yogurt

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Puree the peaches and nectarines one batch at a time. Add yogurt, honey, lemon juice, and cinnamon; stir well. Pour into bowls; garnish with peach slices and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Chill well before you serve. Makes 4 servings.