Place the berries, sugar, vanilla seeds, thyme and a quarter of the lime zest in a small pot. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, place on a low flame and cook for 20 minutes or until the berries reach a sauce-like consistency.
Pass the mixture through a chinois and reserve the liquid.
Meanwhile, place the remaining lime zest on a pan in a warm, dry area for 10 minutes to dry.
Combine equal parts blueberry soup and Moscato dAsti in a large bowl and stir to combine.
To serve, ladle the soup into individual bowls. Next, place a scoop of the buttermilk sherbet on top of the soup, then sprinkle each serving with dried lime zest.
Garnish with toasted almonds or amaretti, if desired.
* A 750-ml bottle would be enough for 5 servings of soups plus 5 small glasses of wine.
¼ cup sugar
¼ vanilla bean, scraped
4 small sprigs fresh thyme
Zest of 1 lime, divided
375 ml Moscato dAsti*
Buttermilk sherbet (Click here to find the recipe.)
This article appears in Jun 1-30, 2010.