White Gazpacho

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White Gazpacho
Adapted from Food and Wine from a recipe by Terrance Brennan of Artisanal restaurant
Serves 4-6

I hate gazpacho. Lucky for me, this was served in a recent cooking class and, to be polite, I tried some. It knocked me off my feet with its cool, slightly sweet and delicately floral flavors and its undeniable peppery kick. When you look at the list of ingredients, you'll doubt anything edible, much less delicious, could come from it -- but trust me. I could eat bowl after bowl, and it would be the perfect antidote to a hot summer day. (Anybody know where I can find one of those?)

6 slices white sandwich bread, crusts discarded, bread torn into pieces
1 cup blanched almonds, chopped
3/4 cup seedless green grapes
1/2 English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 garlic clove, smashed
2 1/2 cups cold water
1/2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
3 TBSP sherry vinegar
coarse salt
pinch cayenne pepper, or more to taste
1 tomato, seeded and finely diced
2 TBSP minced celery
2 TBSP chopped cilantro

In a large bowl, combine everything from the bread through the vinegar. Working in batches, puree the mixture in a food processor, then strain through a fine sieve into a large bowl. You may need to work the mixture through the sieve with the back of a spoon. When you are finished, take what is left in the sieve and return it to the food processor. Puree again. Strain again, then discard the remaining solid matter. Season with salt and cayenne to taste. Refrigerate until it's time to serve or, if serving immediately, set into an ice bath to cool quickly. Garnish with tomato, celery, and cilantro.

Comments

[mom]

Yes, I know where the hot summer days are: here in VB! Yesterday it was near 95 with lots of humidity--felt like an oven when you walked out of a building! More of the same today.

[The Cooking Ninja]

Interesting recipe indeed :) I have to try it out.

[Tiffany]

Interesting....I've always wanted to join the gazpacho...

[hungrychic]

I used to work for Chef Brennan and made this gazpacho every summer. The recipe is accurate except for that we added a splash of white ver jus. This might have been omitted in this adaptation assuming many home cooks don't use ver jus. The texture and flavor is improved by allowing the ingredients to soak a bit after the first pureeing before straining. The almonds soften and infuse the soup. Maybe soak 1 hr in the fridge. I love it served with shrimp or octopus roasted with smoked paprika.

[Catherine]

Yeah, I think verjus is hard to come by. Thanks for the tip about letting it sit, however; I should try that next time.

[Carolyn T]

Sounds REALLY good. Now I know what to do with a little bit of my ver jus that I have in my pantry!

[Nora]

I've been in search of an ajo blanco recipe since I did some research on the history of gazpacho recently. Can't wait to try this! Thanks.