Creamy Chilled Horseradish Soup with Tomato and Green Apple

Author Notes

How did I end up here? On my way to pairing horseradish with potato, I made a pit stop at another nightshade, tomato. I was thinking about a Bloody Mary, which reminded me of the Heirloom Tomato Soup and Sorbet I made last summer (and how they inspired a tomato sorbet based riff on a Bloody Mary). Although summer is a ways off, my daughter, a.k.a. the Tomato Bandit, has two cherry tomato plants that have taken over our raised bed, and are brimming with red beauties. This got me thinking about gazpacho, but with a twist—using green apple instead of cucumber. Once I got my soup chilling however, I decided there were too many seeds, so strained out the solids, stirred in some horseradish-dill-crème fraiche, and ended up with this soup. One taste begins with a sweet burst of tomato and apple, and ends with the peppery bite of horseradish. Crème fraiche and dill round out the flavors of this chilled starter; serve in small bowls, as a little goes a long way. —gingerroot

Test Kitchen Notes

WHO: Gingerroot is a Honolulu-based cook and art educator.
WHAT: A chilled tomato soup that's unexpected (and delicious!) in every way.
HOW: Whizz together tomatoes, apples, horseradish, garlic, and lime juice. Strain, then swirl in a dilly, horseradish-spiked crème fraîche.
WHY WE LOVE IT: This soup is an unfussy take on gazpacho that's elegant and spunky at once. It's a snap to make (just blend the ingredients and chill—waiting overnight really is worth it!) and zippy to eat, with the crème fraîche pulling it all together. And we're dreaming of lots of other things to do with the creamy topping... Tossed with potatoes or slaw or with eggs? Yes.
—The Editors