Plum Soup with Honeydew Tarragon Ice

Ingredients

• 2 cups wedges honeydew melon peeled seeded (1-inch cubes)
• 2 teaspoons juice of lime fresh to taste
• 2 lb plums black red chilled pitted halved
• 1 cup sugar 
• 0.3 cup tarragon fresh packed crushed
• 2 cups water 

Equipment

• bowl
• sieve
• blender
• ice cream machine

Directions

1. Bring water and sugar to a simmer, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
2. Transfer 1/2 cup hot syrup to a bowl and stir in tarragon, then cool. Chill remaining syrup.
3. Pour tarragon syrup through a very fine sieve into a metal bowl, discarding solids. Purée honeydew in a blender and stir into strained tarragon syrup. Freeze in ice cream maker, then transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden.
4. Dice enough of plums to measure 1/2 cup and reserve. Coarsely chop remaining plums and purée in 2 batches with 1 cup chilled syrup (total) in a blender.
5. Pour purée through very fine sieve into a bowl, pressing on and discarding solids.
6. Stir in diced plums, lime juice, and chilled syrup to taste.
7. Serve soup immediately, topped with scoops of honeydew ice.
8. ·Honeydew ice can be made 1 week ahead.