Chef Scott Crawford's Strawberry Gazpacho

[supernova]

I need to try this this weekend.

:9 :9 :9

Chef Scott Crawford's Strawberry Gazpacho

Serves 4 as a starter

2 pints fresh local strawberries, stemmed and rinsed
1 fresh jalapeño pepper, seeds and rib-membrane removed
2 fresh cucumbers, peeled and seeded
1 large (about 1 pound) tomato, cored and cut into chunks
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons seltzer, sparkling water or club soda
Salt and pepper to taste
1 small bunch basil leaves (3 six-inch stems with 6–8 large leaves each)

Place strawberries, jalapeño, cucumbers, tomato, lime juice and seltzer into the bowl of a food processor or a metal mixing bowl for use with immersion blender. Blend to a puree of the consistency you like. Chef Scott likes his chunky, so that means blending it on "high" for 30 seconds to a minute. If you go longer than one minute, the soup will resemble a savory smoothie.

Transfer to a nonreactive bowl, season with salt and pepper to taste.

Tie basil leaves together with kitchen string, leaving the stem-ends of the herbs attached. Immerse the bundle, stem-end up, into the soup. Alternatively, wrap and tie the basil in cheesecloth. Chill overnight, or all day if you make it in the morning. Remove basil. Be sure to shake the gazpacho off the leaves or squeeze it out of the cheesecloth before you serve it.

Serve in chilled bowls as a starter for any meal. It is especially good as a lead-in to grilled fish and a roasted zucchini main dish.

http://www.indyweek.com/indyweek/chef-scott-crawfords-strawberry-gazpacho/Content?oid=1468134