French Laundry Gazpacho Recipes

THE BEST GAZPACHO

Steps:

• Place the bread cubes in a small bowl and add enough water to cover. Let soak until the bread is completely saturated, about 2 minutes. Drain and squeeze dry.
• Combine the bread, tomatoes, roughly chopped cucumber, bell pepper, garlic, 1/3 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons vinegar, coriander, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a blender. (Work in two batches if necessary.) Blend on high speed until creamy and very smooth, about 2 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl or 8-cup liquid measuring cup. Cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
• Season to taste with more salt and pepper and add up to 1 more tablespoon vinegar. Ladle into serving bowls, top with the finely diced cucumber and drizzle with more olive oil. Serve chilled.

GAZPACHO

Steps:

• Mix all the ingredients except the balsamic glaze together in a bowl or other container, cover, and 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.
• To complete: Ladle the cold soup into bowls and squeeze dots of balsamic glaze over the top.
• 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 to 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.

GAZPACHO

Steps:

• 1. In a bowl, reserve 2 tablespoons each of the tomato, cucumber, pepper, and onion to garnish.
• 2. In the food processor or blender, purée the remaining ingredients (except the croutons) until smooth, adjusting the seasoning to taste with lemon juice, salt, and cayenne pepper.
• 3. Cover and chill thoroughly, at least 3 hours but preferably overnight. Adjust the consistency as desired with water. Serve in chilled bowls garnished with the reserved vegetables and croutons.