This time of year cold soups like gazpacho, or in this case melon soup, are great little refreshers.  They showcase the best of the season’s produce without having to turn on an oven.

Last week we had about 5 or 6 really great heirloom melons come in from the farm, which we kept snacking on, but never got around to serving.  Along comes Sunday brunch, yet another hotter than hell afternoon, and my newest Sous Chef, Graham Honig, whips together this really great Chilled Melon and Hefe Weizen Soup.  It was so good; I had him jot down the recipe so I could share.  Nice work new guy!
Enjoy!

Melon Soup with CBC Hefe Weizen
2 farm fresh melons
1½ cup Fennel fronds
1 cup Balsamic vinegar
1 pint Greek yogurt
CBC Hefe Weizen
¼ cup Lime juice
½ cup Orange juice
Salt

To start, pour 1 cup of balsamic vinegar in a small sauce pot. Heat on high and reduce by half while you are preparing the rest of the soup.

Next, procure two gorgeous, orange-fleshed summer melons. (Preferably from one of your happy local farmers.) Peel, seed and rough chop.

Buy fennel. (Lots of it. Use it when you cook.) In this case, you only need the fronds - the wispy looking top ends. Pick about a cup and a half of the fronds, taking care to use only the soft stemmed part. Rough chop your fronds.

Buy beer from CBC. (Again- I recommend lots of it! Drink it while you cook.) For this recipe, you’ll need 2½ cups of Hefe Weizen. Measure and set aside.

In your preferred puréeing device, add the melon and fennel fronds and purée thoroughly. Transfer liquid to a mixing bowl and add the pint of Greek yogurt, 2 T of the balsamic reduction (save the rest for garnish or some other decadence), ¼ cup (preferably) fresh lime juice, ½ cup (absolutely!) fresh orange juice and Hefe Weizen. Whisk to mix. Add salt to taste. 1½ T would make me happy.

Strain the soup through a chinois or cheesecloth and set aside to chill. Serve cold and enjoy. Garnish with fresh mint if you like.