Eleven Madison Park's Strawberry Gazpacho
Garnish with croutons. Or, if you want to contract a little fairytale scene, do as Daniel Humm does and add confited strawberries and planks of guanciale on top. Either way, it's time to eat...
Why should we have to wait until August to have gazpacho? Let strawberries shine!
Begin by hulling and quartering your strawberries.
Then, dice your green bell pepper.
Dice your red bell pepper.
Peel, seed, and dice your cucumber.
And, throw it all into a bowl.
Smash your garlic.
Chop up your bread into cubes
And, saute them in olive oil with garlic and thyme until golden brown.
Into the bowl the golden bread cubes go.
Along with a little olive oil.
A little vinegar.
A little salt.
And, a little tomato juice, too. (Use the rest of the bottle for Bloody Marys!)
Leave all of the ingredients to their devices for a few hours to soften, macerate, and take up each others' essences and surrender their own.
Now that the ingredients are a technicolor stew, blend it all together.
And strain the mixture, but only if you want to serve something slick, with less fiber.
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Genius Recipes says: Unlike pie, with its revolving rainbow of seasonal flavors, gazpacho doesn't seem like a fill-in-the-blank situation. To most of us, it spells one thing: tomatoes, cold, smooth, and punchy. But in truth, anything can be a gazpacho. It's just not fair that we should have to wait till the tomatoes roll around -- that's where the strawberries come in. Recipe adapted very slightly from Eleven Madison Park: The Cookbook.
Serves 4 to 6
- 1/2 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed but kept whole
- 1 1/2 cup whole grain bread, crusts removed, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 6 cups strawberries, hulled and quartered
- 2 1/4 cups English cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and diced
- 1 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
- 3/4 cups diced green bell pepper
- 6 tablespoons tomato juice
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Tabasco sauce
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed but kept whole
- 2 cups diced (1/4 inch) whole grain bread, crusts removed
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Heat a small saute pan over medium-high heat. Coat the bottom with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and add 1 clove of garlic. When the garlic begins to sizzle, add the bread cubes. Toss occasionally until the bread begins to color, being careful not to burn. Add the thyme and continue to toss until the bread is golden brown. Transfer the bread to a large bowl. Discard the garlic and thyme.
- Add the strawberries, cucumber, peppers, remaining garlic clove, remaining 1/2 cup of olive oil, tomato juice, vinegar, and salt to the bowl. Toss to combine and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Marinate at room temperature for 3 to 6 hours. Puree the ingredients and their juices in small batches in a blender on thigh speed until very smooth. Strain through a chinois and chill in the refrigerator until very cold. Taste and season, if necessary, with Tabasco sauce and additional salt and red wine vinegar.
- Heat a small saute pan on medium-high heat. Coat the bottom with the olive oil and add the garlic. When the garlic begins to sizzle, add the diced bread. Toss occasionally until the bread begins to color, being careful not to burn. Add the thyme and continue to toss until the bread is golden brown. Quickly transfer to a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Discard the garlic and thyme and season with the salt. Once cool and dry, store in an airtight container line with paper towels for up to 1 day.
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
5 months ago smacarol
So, thigh speed, is that slow? I mean if you're a runner, maybe not, but if you mostly sit around, then.... Or maybe it's metaphorical?
7 months ago CarlaK
I was intrigued enough by this recipe (and, of course, Daniel Humm's reputation) to try it last night although I had no great expectation of it. Well, I'm happy to report it's a winner in my book. The strawberry flavor absolutely came through but in a new, interesting way -- kind of like the softer side of gazpacho. And in response to earlier comments, I halved the recipe and it served 3 perfectly so I think the sizing is right on. I also did sub out chopped fresh tomato for the tomato juice, using the same quantity and the tomato was simply another element with the strawberries the star.
7 months ago Monica Little
I made this and really enjoyed it! Although, I would make a few changes next time... I would use a few fresh tomatoes instead of the juice (if available) and about half the vinegar. I ate it with both fresh strawberries in it and avocado. Yum!
7 months ago jellygood
I'm sticking to my white and tomato-based gazpachos. I know this makes me sound like a Luddite, but I just don't agree that "anything can be a gazpacho"! Gazpacho is a savoury soup. The addition of fruit makes it more fruktsoppa - a Swedish fruit soup. Delicious but not a gazpacho. If things ain't broke don't fix em.
7 months ago donald J
I followed the recipe exactly but I thought the flavor of the tomato juice still overpowered the flavor and scent of the strawberries. I also thought it was not properly sized as I had much more than what 4 to 6 people would normally eat. I was disappointed with this recipe.
7 months ago donald J
I followed the recipe exactly but I thought the flavor of the tomato juice still overpowered the flavor and scent of the strawberries. I also thought it was not properly sized as I had much more than what 4 to 6 people would normally eat. I was disappointed with this recipe.