In a twist on a recipe by Andalucian chef Dani García, blending ripe tomatoes with sweet cherries, our chef Stephen Jackson has paired the sweet/savoury soup with the flavours that cherries love so much, namely almonds, thyme and goat’s cheese. You can choose your favourite goat cheese, be it a soft fluffy Chèvre log or a firmer cheese such as Inglewhite. You can grate or scoop or slice to your hearts’ content. The manner of the garnish is very much up to you.
Ingredients:
900g ripe tomatoes (any colour, any size), chopped roughly
200g fresh cherries, pitted, plus a few extra for garnish
1 small red pepper, seeded and finely-diced
100g slightly stale white bread, cubed
1 small red onion, finely diced
60ml sherry vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
1 clove of garlic, minced
120ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
Freshly-ground pepper and sea salt flakes
A handful of well-toasted flaked almonds
Fresh thyme flowers and/or other green herbs for garnish
A small goat’s cheese log or about 200g firm goat’s cheese
Method:
In a large bowl, gently toss the tomatoes with the cherries, red pepper, bread, red onion, vinegar, garlic, olive oil and a very generous grind of salt and pepper. Leave this, covered with a tea towel, to stand at room temperature for 2 hours to allow the flavours to get to know each other. Using either a stick blender or regular version, whizz the gazpacho base until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight. Season the gazpacho with a little more sea salt, adding water if you judge it to be too thick. To serve, spoon the soup into bowls, and garnish with slivers of fresh cherry, a sprinkling of the toasted almond flakes, a few fresh herbs and flowers, and a blob or grating of goat’s cheese. Serve immediately. We recommend a nice Albariño or a crisp Provence rosé to accompany this soup.
