Late Summer Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho With Sweet Peppers, Tomato Pulp, Tomato Romesco and Cucumber Gelée
Recipe courtesy of Brian Beland, CMC, Executive Chef and Director of Food and Beverage for the Country Club of Detroit (Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.)
Ingredients
- Ingredients for Tomato Water
- tomato - 3 lb.
- kosher salt - 1 Tbsp.
- fresh ground black pepper - 5 grinds
- Ingredients for Cucumber Gelée
- cucumbers - 2 cups, juiced with skin
- salt - to taste
- gelatin powder - 3/4 oz
- Ingredients for Tomato Romesco
- plum tomatoes, cut in half (remove pulp and save for soup garnish) - 8 ea.
- pasilla chili - 2 ea.
- yellow onion, minced - 3/4 cup
- garlic clove - 2 ea.
- bread, 2-inch cubes dried in oven - 6-8 pieces
- marcona almond, toasted - 1/2 cup
- sherry vinegar - 1 ½ Tbsp.
- paprika - 1 tsp.
- extra virgin olive oil - 1/4 cup
- salt - to taste
- pepper - to taste
- Ingredients for Cipollini Onion
- cipollini onions - 12 ea.
- olive oil - as needed
- salt - pinch
- sugar - pinch
- Ingredients for Croutons
- bread, ciabata, crust removed, ¾-inch dice - 1 loaf
- olive oil - as needed
- roasted garlic paste - 2 Tbsp.
- basil, chiffonade - 2 Tbsp.
- salt - to taste
- pepper - to taste
- Ingredients for Garnish
- celery leaves, pale green from heart - 30 ea.
- tricolor sweet bell peppers, brunoise - 1/2 cup
- extra virgin olive oil - as needed
- tomato pulp - 30
Instructions
Procedure for Tomato Water:
- Wash and core tomatoes, rough chop, toss with salt and pepper.
- Place in food processer and pulse.
- Hang in cheese cloth for 24 hours over a baine maire.
Procedure for Cucumber Gelée:
- Wash cucumber, rough chop and season.
- Set aside ½ cup of juice to bloom gelatin.
- Once bloomed, melt the gelatin, add to the remaining 1 ½ cups of juice.
- Pour into a plastic wrap-lined flat pan.
- Chill then dice once fully set.
Procedure for Tomato Romesco:
- Toast chilies, remove stems and seeds, soak in hot water about 30 minutes, remove from water.
- Roast the tomatoes in a 400 degree oven, cut side down for 5 minutes, remove the tomato skin then reduce oven to 250 degrees and roast until tomatoes concentrate and lightly browned, about 1 ½ hours.
- Let cool and reserve any juices that collect on the tray.
- While tomatoes are roasting, char onions and garlic in a hot sauté pan, then reduce heat and cook down until tender.
- Place all ingredients into a vita prep and puree to a smooth paste, adjust seasoning as needed.
Procedure for Cipollini Onion:
- Peel and wash onions, toss onions with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and sugar.
- Place onions in a vacuum bag with olive oil, seal at full vacuum.
- Place in a 185-degree water bath for 1 ½ hours.
- Shock in an ice bath.
- Prepare onions as needed for service.
Procedure for Croutons:
- Mix oil, garlic paste and basil together, toss with bread crumbs.
- Place single layer on a tray and bake in a 300-degree oven until dried through and light golden brown.
Service Assembly:
- In a chilled bowl, arrange all the soup garnishes.
- Portion tomato water into a chilled vessel to serve tableside.
