How to Make Grandma's Heavenly Fruit Soup

What? Fruit soup? I'd never heard of it until I tried some and boy had I been missing out. Fruit soup is the bomb, really. My Dad's sister Cathy got this recipe from Grandma and when she made it everyone devoured it, especially the kids. And it's fabulous anytime of year for a nice change from the norm. It doesn't take long to prepare and makes a beautiful presentation. You can dress it up for the holidays or make it for a casual get-together with friends, whenever you choose to make this, it will be enjoyed by all and everyone will think you are a gourmet chef as it looks (and tastes) heavenly.

Things You'll Need to Make Grandma's Heavenly Fruit Soup:
½ cup sugar
3 T. tapioca
1 ½ cups water
6-12 oz. orange juice concentrate
2 peaches pitted, peeled and pureed (food processor works best)
1-2 cups watermelon, deseeded, peeled and pureed
1 qt. strawberries sliced
1 can mandarin oranges drained
1 can pineapple undrained
a couple sliced bananas
lemon juice
any fruit you choose
(optional) may add nutmeg or cinnamon or a sprig of mint
may add a dash or two of fruity liquor like peach schnappes or for the holidays Grand Marnier

1. First, gather ingredients, and add sugar, tapioca and water to a saucepan and cook over medium heat for about 5-6 minutes or until the syrup is thick and clear. Remove from heat. Now you have a base for your fruit soup.
2. While your syrup is cooking wash and slice strawberries and open cans of fruit or prep the fruit of your choice for your soup. Drain the mandarin oranges but don't drain the can of pineapple. You can use crushed pineapple or chunks depending on your tastes.
3. Add orange juice concentrate to the fruit soup base, and stir in watermelon and peach puree. Then stir in pieces of chosen fruit. Use approximately 1 tsp. of lemon juice on the fruit pieces so they don't brown and stay fresh looking. Use anywhere between 6-12 ounces of o.j. concentrate depending on how many people you want to serve.
4. Add sliced bananas if you wish, but if you're not going to use it right away, don't add the bananas until serving. You may add any other type of fruit you like to this soup. I like to use martini glasses and sprinkle toasted coconut over the top for a nice presentation. You could also decorate it with a sprig a fresh mint. Serves anywhere from 8-12 people depending on serving size.
   Enjoy!

Tips & Warnings
Add a bit of nutmeg or cinnamon for a holiday spice
You could also add a dash or two of peach schnapps or other fruity liquor to make this a really fun soup for a party. Grand Marnier is a nice addition for the holidays.
Use cantaloupe and honeydew with the watermelon for the puree with fresh mint in the summer.
Experiment with any type of fruit you like; apricots, blueberries, pears, kiwi, or any seasonal fruit.
You could also serve this in 'cantaloupe bowls' by cutting the cantaloupe in half and slicing off a small disk on each bottom to make it sit flat on a table and scooping out the innards (use some in the puree part of the soup) and you have a lovely presentation as well.
Chill this soup for at least an hour before serving and try not to keep it in the refrigerator for more than 6 hours or your sliced fruit will not look fresh.