Unfortunately, regular hothouse tomatoes don’t work in this recipe. Wait until you can get great heirloom tomatoes and select the most flavorful, vine-ripened ones you can find. I’d try to use tomatoes of the same color but if you want to be fancy, you could separately do reds and yellows and with two ladles simultaneously pour them into chilled soup plates to create a “yin-yang” effect. For variety I sometimes will add up to a cup or so of freshly juiced cucumber, sweet red bell pepper or carrot to the soup mixture.
Chilled Heirloom Tomato Soup with Summer Relish
Serves 6 – 8
4 pounds coarsely chopped ripe tomatoes
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (or to taste)
Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper
Summer relish (recipe follows)
Garnish: Sliced avocado fans, yogurt or crème fraiche and basil oil (recipe follows)
Using a food mill, puree the tomatoes—a food mill is preferred. In using the food mill, move from the coarsest to the finest blade, depending on the texture you desire. Discard the skins and seeds. If you don’t have a food mill you can also use a food processor to puree. Strain pureed tomatoes through a medium mesh strainer, pushing down on the solids with a rubber spatula to capture seeds and skin. Season to taste with vinegar, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until very cold.
To serve, ladle soup into chilled soup bowls. Place 1 or 2 tablespoons of the summer relish in the center and garnish with sliced avocado fans, a dollop of yogurt or crème fraiche and a drizzle of basil oil around.
Summer Relish
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup diced red onion
3 tablespoons diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup seeded and diced cucumber (lemon cucumber preferred)
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
In a bowl gently combine the relish ingredients. Correct the seasoning with salt and pepper.
Basil oil
Any fresh leafy herb or combination can be used such as mint, chives, cilantro, parsley, shiso, etc.
2 cloves garlic, peeled
3 cups packed herbs; large stems discarded
2 cups or so cups olive or canola oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Add garlic to a deep saucepan with lightly salted boiling water and boil for 1 minute. Add herbs and stir until they turn a bright green (about five seconds).
Drain and plunge immediately into ice water to stop the cooking and set the color. This blanching step inactivates the enzymes which causes the herb to turn brown and develop an oxidized flavor.
Squeeze herbs as dry as you can and add to a blender along with garlic and enough oil to cover by at least 2 inches. Puree until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth. I let it drain slowly for an hour or so. Oil should be a very bright green and fragrant. Season with salt and pepper to taste and store covered in refrigerator for up to three weeks.
