Jewish Plum Soup With Sour Cream

• 4 cups water
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• a few twists of black pepper
• 2 pounds firm-ripe plums, pitted and coarsely chopped
• 1 sprig lemon verbena, about 4 inches long, or a 4-inch strip of lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons creme de cassis or other berry liqueur (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup sour cream, creme fraiche, or Greek-style whole milk yogurt, for serving
• 4 sprigs (small) mint or lemon verbena, for garnish

1. Put the water, sugar, salt, and pepper in a large, heavy, nonreactive saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the plums, bring back to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Skim off any foam that rises to the top, then simmer, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is very soft and falling apart, about 20 minutes.
2. Remove from the heat and stir in the 4-inch lemon verbena sprig or strip of lemon zest. Let cool for about 20 minutes, tasting occasionally and removing the lemon verbena (or zest) when its flavor has perfumed the soup to your liking. It should be a delicate background note, not a predominant flavor.
3. Puree the soup until smooth using an immersion blender, standard blender, or food processor. Stir in the liqueur if using it, and the lemon zest and juice. Cover and refrigerate until very cold, about 4 hours or up to 4 days.
4. Ladle the chilled soup into shallow bowls. Top each serving with a dollop of sour cream and a mint sprig.

water, granulated sugar, kosher salt, black pepper, lemon verbena, crueme de cassis, lemon zest, lemon juice, sour cream, mint

Taken from food52.com/recipes/6083-jewish-plum-soup-with-sour-cream (may not work)