Chilled Blueberry Soup with Honey Lemon Mascarpone

Place the berries, water, sugar, cinnamon stick, star anise, cardamom and lemon juice and zest in a large pan over high heat until it starts to boil. Then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for one hour. Remove from heat and let cool for about 20 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and anise. Add the almond extract and cassis, if using. Transfer to your blender and puree the mixture for about a minute or two. Strain the mixture into a bowl through a mesh sieve, pressing out all of the berry juice. Transfer to a container and chill.

In a medium bowl, mix by hand, the mascarpone cheese, cream, honey, lemon juice and zest. When ready to serve, dollop on top of your soup.