Strawberry & Heirloom Tomato Gaspacho

As we're entering the peak of both strawberry and tomato season here in the northeast, I wanted to created a dish that celebrated the bright, freshness of the produce and used the acidity of the tomatoes to offset the sometimes cloying sweetness of a juicy, ripe strawberry.

I've had a slight obsession lately with Chef Daniel Humm of Eleven Madison Park and have been drawing inspiration from several of his recipes, breaking down their complexity in an effort to adapt them to everyday dining.  While his version of strawberry gazpacho outlined in his cookbook is a painstaking, multi-hour endeavor, this adaptation, while notably different, can be ready to serve in 45 minutes.

Strawberry-Tomato Gaspacho

Ingredients

·      4 cups of fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered 

·      2 cups fresh heirloom tomatoes, diced 

·      1 red bell pepper, cleaned and roughly chopped 

·      1/4 jalapeño, cleaned and roughly chopped 

·      1 vidalia onion, roughly chopped

·      1 shallot, roughly chopped

·      1 garlic clove, smashed

·      2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

·      2 tablespoons sherry vinegar 

·      2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

·      5-6 white peppercorns, cracked

·      10-15 tapioca croutons

·      10-15 confit strawberries, halved

·      Italian flat-leaf parsley sprigs 

·      5-6 strips of cured guanciale  

·      Kosher salt to taste

Method

·      In a large mixing bowl, combine berries, tomatoes, peppers, onion, shallot, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, thyme and salt

·      Gently toss all ingredients until well dressed 

·      Allow the mixture to marinate, refrigerated, for 30 minutes 

·      Combine the mixture in a high speed blender until smooth 

·      Strain through a fine mesh sieve

·      Garnish with confit strawberries, parsley and guanciale 

Croutons

Ingredients

·      2 ½ inch thick slices of tapioca bread

·      1 tablespoon butter

·      1 garlic clove, finely minced

·      2 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves removed

Method

·      In a large skillet, melt butter over low heat

·      Add garlic and thyme leaves, stirring until lightly toasted

·      Slice bread into ½ inch cubes and add to the butter mixture

·      Allow each side of the bread cubes to toast in the butter for 1 minute before turning

·      Once all sides have been toasted, remove the croutons from the pan and place on a paper towel to absorb any excess butter

Confit Strawberries

Ingredients

·      10-15 small to medium sized strawberries, hulled 

·      4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 

·      1 tablespoon shallot, finely minced

·      Kosher salt to taste

Method

·      Preheat oven to 250 degrees

·      Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl and toss to thoroughly coat 

·      In a shallow baking dish, arrange berries in a single layer

·      Roast for 35-40 minutes or until berries become tender 

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