GAZPACHO WITH TOMATO SHERBET

GAZPACHO

INGREDIENTS

3 large cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped

6 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped

2 red bell peppers stemmed, seeded, and roughly chopped

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons sherry vinegar

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped

3 tablespoons Italian parsley leaves, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons freshly ground black

pepper

Basil sprigs for garnish

Tomato Sherbet (recipe follows) for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Place the cucumbers, tomatoes, and bell peppers in the bowl of a food processor and add the lemon juice, vinegar, and olive oil. Process until just blended and still slightly chunky. Pour into a large bowl or soup tureen and stir in the garlic, parsley, salt, and black pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 but not more than 8 hours.

When ready to serve, pour the gazpacho into six bowls and top with a scoop of tomato sherbet and a basil sprig.

NOTE: I am generally an onion fanatic, but I like the simplicity and sweetness of this soup without the onion just this once. The acidic balance is pretty close to perfect, but if you must, you can add 1 small sweet onion, coarsely chopped, to the mix before processing.

TOMATO SHERBET

INGREDIENTS

Serves 6 as a garnish

3 cups chopped, peeled, and seeded tomatoes

1⁄2 teaspoon salt, plus more for the tomatoes

Freshly ground white pepper 1 cup Hellmann’s mayonnaise 1 tablespoon heavy cream

1 teaspoon sugar

Pinch of cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 1⁄2 teaspoon Lea & Perrins

Worcestershire sauce

DIRECTIONS

Put the tomatoes in a heavy- bottomed saucepan and season them with a healthy pinch of salt and a few lashings of white pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pan.

Transfer the tomatoes to a blender or the bowl of a food processor and puree. Place 2 1⁄2 cups of the puree in a medium bowl and chill in the freezer until ice-cold but not frozen. Return to the blender or food processor and add the remaining puree, the mayonnaise, cream, remaining 1⁄2 teaspoon salt, the cayenne, lemon juice, and Worcester- shire sauce and blend thoroughly. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

NOTE: You may need to finish the sherbet off in the freezer for an hour or so, or until the mixture is hard enough to make a solid scoop.