The French Laundry’s Gazpacho
1 cup chopped red onions
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped English cucumber
1 cup peeled tomatoes, chopped
1 1⁄2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 1⁄2 teaspoons kosher salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne
¼ cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 cups tomato juice Sprig of thyme
2 cups balsamic vinegar
Instructions: Mix all the ingredients except the balsamic vinegar together in a bowl or other container, coverand let sit in the refrigerator overnight.
The next day, remove the thyme and blend all the ingredients in a blender until the gazpacho is smooth. You will have about 2 quarts. For a smoother texture, strain the soup to yield about 1 quart. Refrigerate the gazpacho until ready to serve.
Heat the vinegar in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until steam rises from the liquid. Place the saucepan on a heat diffuser and let the liquid reduce very slowly (it shouldn’t simmer) for 2-3 hours, until it has reduced and thickened to a syrupy glaze. There should be approximately 1 cup of glaze. Keep the glaze in a squeeze bottle at room temperature for garnishing. If the glaze is too thick, warm the bottle in hot water to loosen the glaze.
To serve, ladle the cold soup into bowls and squeeze dots of balsamic glaze over the top.
Makes 8 servings
From “The French Laundry Cookbook” by Thomas Keller