This refreshing chilled soup is based on a Spanish classic; white gazpacho, also known as Ajo Blanco. I used watermelon and apple in this recipe because I wanted to have a little fun with color and texture, and these two fruits eat well without turning the soup overly sweet. This gazpacho comes to play with sweet, sour and salty notes. Some gazpacho has bread blended into it, but this one is lighter, made with puréed almonds, and it is gluten free. I also garnished with fennel fronds, which really make it special.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 35 min |
| Active: | 35 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 cup diced peeled, seeded English cucumbers
- 3/4 cup verjus blanc or white grape juice
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh fennel, fronds reserved for garnish
- 1/2 cup green grapes
- 1/3 cup blanched sliced almonds
- 1/3 cup diced, peeled Fuji apple
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- Kosher salt
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup julienned watermelon
- 1/3 cup julienned Fuji apple
- 1/3 cup thinly sliced green grapes
Instructions
- For the gazpacho: In a blender, combine the cucumbers, verjus blanc or grape juice, fennel, grapes, almonds, apples, honey, vinegar, lime juice and salt to taste. Purée until smooth. With the blender on low, stream in the olive oil to emulsify. Adjust the seasonings. Strain the soup through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl or large liquid measuring cup. If serving immediately, chill in an ice bath until cold. Otherwise, chill the soup in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Season with additional salt.
- Create small piles of the julienned watermelon and apples in the center of each of four bowls, then scatter the sliced grapes around the piles. Ladle the soup around the piles. Garnish with the fennel fronds. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 287 |
| Total Fat | 20 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 28 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 23 g |
| Protein | 3 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 453 mg |
Reviews
Excellent and easy. Make sure to puree longer than you think you need to get as much pulp out as possible before straining.
Not bad I would cut back the honey though