Wednesday, July 25, 2012

White Gazpacho! I Eat This All the Time…Like Every 20 Years

A very, very long time ago, I had a white gazpacho. It was ice cold, very tasty, and super refreshing. It was similar to a classic gazpacho, but with no tomato and peppers. It was so unusually delicious that it really made an impression.

It had a cucumber base, was garnished with almonds and grapes, and was so good, I told myself to get the recipe and put it into regular summer rotation. That was probably 20 years ago, and I haven’t had it since. Totally spaced. 

Anyway, last week I came across this on Grubstreet, and it all came back to me. I knew I must try this soup! I’ve adapted the Dovetail’s version slightly, but it’s one of those very personal recipes that you’ll want to adjust to your tastes.

Tweaking the amounts of salt, vinegar, and sweetness from the grapes will easily alter the final product, so experimentation is a must! The same goes for the texture. Add a bit more or less water depending on your dream viscosity.

The ice cube trick is optional, but really does keep the soup nicely chilled. The temperature is so critical here – you can’t serve this too cold. By the way, the dill oil I drip on the top was nothing more than a few tablespoons of vegetable oil mashed with some fresh dill with a mortar and pestle.

So, the next time you’re looking for a cool first course for that next great garden party, I hope you give this a try. You’ll love it so much, I’m sure you’ll make it all the time! ;) Enjoy!


Ingredients for 6 small servings:
1 tbsp olive oil 
1 cup whites part of leeks, washed, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
2 English cucumbers, peeled
8-10 green grapes
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup crème fraiche, sour cream or plain yogurt
1 generous cup fresh bread cubes
2 tbsp sherry vinegar, or to taste
1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
cayenne to taste
1 1/2 cups cold water, more if needed
dill oil and/or fresh dill leaves

View the complete recipe

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Chef John. I noticed that your audio is much better in the recent videos compared to the older ones. What kind of mic do you use?

Chef John said...

yeti microphone!

Unknown said...

I found one of your vids over on Allrecipes, and now I am hooked! You are so cute/funny! Thanks for entertaining while you are educating ;)
Great blog!

Chef John said...

Welcome! Thanks!

steven said...

What's cooler than being cool?

Anonymous said...

Looks very refreshing...and reminds me of one of my favorite cold soups, a Polish one called chłodnik that also has yogurt and dill but throws in some cooked beets, to stunning visual effect.

MunatyCooking said...

Oh yes! We need this to beat the heat. I'm not a big fan of cold soups but after watching your video, I want to try this recipe. Thanks for sharing Chef :)

Elizzaruth said...

Would making this gluten free (sans bread) ruin it?

Chef John said...

dont think "ruin it" would be the term. it would not be as thick.

Jenna said...

I am totally going to make this! I've been following your blog for some time (your turkey and gravy recipes have been my go-to the last few Thanksgivings) and just last week found your other gazpacho recipe on allrecipes. It was a huge hit at a dinner party I hosted! Thank you for all the great recipes and videos!

SallyBR said...

Now that is a chilled soup I know I will love!

the regular gazpacho with the peppers is nice, but it ends up upsetting my stomach.

love your version, will be pinning it right away!

Anonymous said...

That was a delicious soup. Really nice on a hot summer day!

Festizzeo said...

Ice Cold.

Connie said...

Would it work to use Greek yogurt?

Anonymous said...

yeah chef john, thanx for the recipe!

I had so much stuff left over after the straining part that I made some nice veggie paddies with it (plus eggs etc.) that went really well with the soup

just so you know :P

Graekeren said...

Would freezing it, for a late date, ruin it?

Graekeren said...

Would freezing this (for a later date) ruin it?

Chef John said...

Not sure! Never tried, but doesn't sound like good idea.

Unknown said...

I just made this. It turned out well even though i din add ne yogurt(had none at home). Where can we post pistures of what we make? -- Your ardent fan from India -Mumbai.
PS ; just make the chocolate sour creame bunt cake. its the most moist cake i have ever made.

Unknown said...

Would this worked sweetened to be made more like a chilled dessert soup? I know a lot of people don't like the idea of a dessert soup but I think they work nicely as an after dinner, real dessert warm up! Thanks!

Unknown said...

Yo CJ!

Why did you not do the old 'push down the foil with your fist to get all the air out' trick on here? Is there a reason?