It’s hot in Los Angeles. It might even get to 100 degrees later this week. It’s not supposed to be hot here. It’s supposed to be 76 and sunny. But, more and more it seems, it gets hot in LA. When that happens a cold soup – full of ripe, summery flavor – is a refreshing relief. This one is a Chilled Tomato Soup with a smooth, frothy texture and a big dollop of savory whipped cream. I could call this cold summer soup gazpacho. Ludo Lefebvre, the chef who inspired this version, did – but I’m not going to. True it’s a Chilled Tomato Soup featuring raw vegetables, but this summer tomato soup is more delicate than its rustic Spanish cousin.
Chilled Tomato Soup
In my book, traditional gazpacho has a bit more texture than this Chilled Tomato Soup. The traditional texture usually comes from bread or sometimes even nuts. I realize some claim that a gazpacho with bread is properly known as a salmorejo. Both these cold summer soups are Andalusian peasant dishes designed to stretch summer’s bounty to its absolute limit. However, if you want to get that technical I’d have to say the really proper, old-fashioned way to make gazpacho or salmorejo is to chop everything finely by hand and stir it together in a large, chipped ceramic bowl passed down from la cocina de mamá. Which produces a beautifully rustic texture no machine could ever match.
There are other differences between this Chilled Tomato Soup and a classic gazpacho and many of them are French influenced. The tomatoes are peeled and seeded. It seems the French are mad for peeled tomatoes in any and all instances. I guess it’s a presentation thing, but it’s impossible to go to a fancy French restaurant and find a tomato with its skin intact. Can you imagine the tedium of the person whose job it is to peel all those tomatoes?
Speaking of the presentation I also have to mention the pretty color of this Chilled Tomato Soup because even the reddest of ripe tomatoes will produce a gazpacho that falls somewhere between pink and orange. That’s because of the emulsified olive oil in the mix. Some of the worst gazpacho recipes I’ve seen try to make up for this perceived chromatic deficiency by adding lip-stick red, canned tomato juice. Chef Ludo Lefebvre improves the color presentation of this soup just slightly with a few well-chosen ripe red strawberries.
But I have to get back to the texture. That’s where the difference really shines. This soup should be very smooth and whipped full of air until it’s light and frothy. You need to make this soup at least an hour ahead so that it can properly chill. Don’t forget to give it an extra whirl in the blender at the very moment you serve it for the best frothy effect.
Well, with all that said, the real secret to great gazpacho or Chilled Tomato Soup is to use the very best ingredients and a cold, cold fridge on a hot, hot day. GREG
Smooth, Cool, and Frothy Chilled Gazpacho
Print This Recipe Yield 4–6Source Adapted from Ludo LefebvrePublished
Ingredients
- 6 very ripe summer tomatoes
- 1 English cucumber
- 5 fresh strawberries (stemmed and halved)
- ¼ red bell pepper (seeded and chopped)
- ¼ pound spring onion (white parts only, chopped)
- 2 clove garlic (peeled and chopped)
- 2 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ cup very good extra-virgin olive oil
- 1–3 tablespoon water (if needed)
- kosher salt and white pepper (as needed for seasoning)
- 1 ½ cup whipping cream
- Esplette pepper (as needed for garnish, or substitute with paprika if you prefer)
- fresh basil leaves (as needed for garnish)
Directions
Peel the tomatoes: Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl and place it near the stove. Next, bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Meanwhile, using a very sharp paring knife make a shallow cross on the bottom (non-stem) end of the tomatoes. Then, with a slotted spoon drop each tomato into the boiling water for about 30 seconds or until the skins begins to peel back at the cross. Using the slotted spoon transfer them to the ice bath to cool quickly. After the tomato has cooled gently pull on the peel where the scored skin has begun to split. The skin will slip off easily.
Remove the seeds from the tomatoes: Core the stem end and then cut the peeled tomatoes in half. Working over a bowl to catch the seeds and juice squeeze out the seeds. Use your fingers to coax them from the hidden nooks and crevices. Don’t worry if you crush the tomatoes in the process. Place the seeded tomato pulp into a high-powered blender as you work. Once all the tomatoes are finished, strain the seeds from the juice and add the tomato juice to the blender. Discard the seeds.
Make the chilled gazpacho: Peel the cucumber then remove and discard the seeds with a spoon. Roughly chop the remaining flesh. Place in the blender with the tomatoes. Then add the halved strawberries, chopped red bell pepper, chopped onion, chopped garlic, vinegar and Dijon mustard to the blender also. Place the lid on securely and blend the mixture until it’s fairly smooth and uniform. Then, with the machine running, drizzle in the olive oil until the soup is very smooth, well-emulsified and frothy. You may need to drizzle in a couple of tablespoons of water to adjust consistency. Use your judgment. Season with salt and white pepper. Chill the soup at least one hour and up to 12 hours.
Make the whipped cream: In a very cold bowl whisk the cream by hand until it comes to soft peaks. Season with a pinch each salt and white pepper. Chill the soup at least one hour and up to 12 hours.
Serve the chilled gazpacho: Just before serving, remove the soup from the refrigerator and taste it for seasoning. It may need a touch of vinegar or more salt and pepper, use your judgment. Once seasoned blend the soup again on high speed until frothy.
Pour the chilled gazpacho into individual chilled soup bowls. Add a generous dollop of whipped cream. Garnish with a sprinkle of Esplette pepper and a few basil leaves. Serve immediately.
What a great combo! I love chilled soups in the summer. 🙂
We have been having freakishly cool fall weather the past few days and I welcome the respite. Hot or cool, this soup sounds like a winner. That with a turkey, bacon, and tomato wrap would be great for lunch. Great post, Greg.
This sounds delicious, although the picture of the naked tomatoes, with their skins strewn about in front of them, is so X‑rated!
My mom got us hooked on gazpacho decades ago and I’m always game to try any variations! Frothy with strawberries sounds pretty darned delicious!
Love summer, except that heat thing. No solution for that, alas, except something cooling and soothing like this. And frothy is a bonus! Really nice — thanks.
Goodness I need this soup on a hot summer day. So fascinated with the addition of strawberries — really brilliant. Happy summer!
Cold and frothy is just what I need today~ This sound like the perfect antidote to the heat wave we are in! Just watered my tomato plants so hopefully I will be able to make this soon!
What a gorgeous blend of beautiful summer flavours. The strawberries are an interesting addition, you mention for colour, does it add flavour too? Sometimes I add sundried tomatoes (or oven-dried) to intensify the colour. The Spaniards certainly know how to blend fresh vegetable flavours in a perfectly balanced combo. I have a large fine sieve which is tight enough to catch the blended seeds and tomato skins so I generally don’t peel my tomatoes. The Hungarians generally peel their mushrooms, I even remember my Mom doing so and involving us kids in that tedious task; how I loved pulling the skin from the mushroom cap, revealing the tender white flesh!
I was wondering what to make for dinner tonight and this is going to be perfect, as it is pretty hot here too. The savoury whipped cream is genius!
I can’t say the strawberries showed themselves too dramatically except in perhaps balancing the sugar with the acid of the tomato. In Spain, grapes are used similarly in some gazpacho recipes. GREG
I had no idea, thanks for that. I did end up making a gazpacho, but it was the kitchen sink variety, using whatever I had in the fridge. It turned out wonderful. Thanks for the inspiration!
Tedium is right! My mother peeled every tomato she ever used — especially in salads. I don’t personally like coming across peels in sauces and soups, so unless you can vitamix the crap out of them, they’re worth peeling! This is one beautiful soup.
Looks absolutely delightful in this crazy LA heat right now.
It’s cool and foggy here on the coast in Santa Cruz but very hot inland. Nice looking soup with interesting ingredients,I am sure it tastes delicious.
Well, I would say that 100° isn’t all that bad, except I know when LA gets hot, it is also humid! Bring on the chilled everything! (We are due to hit 115° here in Tucson today.) Love that you have some strawberry in there… cool idea for a cool soup!
It seems to be dry heat this time (blowing in from the desert) and it’s bad enough for me. In Autumn we sometimes get heat that comes with a monsoonal flow from Mexico and it’s even worse. GREG
Keep hydrated and stay inside! Everyone here seems to love coming to work these days!