Thursday, June 4, 2009

CEiMB-White Gazpacho with Grapes and Toasted Almonds



When I saw this week's CEiMB recipe, White Gazpacho with Grapes and Toasted Amonds, that was chosen by Lauren over at I'll Eat You,
I wasn't sure how it was going to go over at our house. This was actually one of the last recipes I made and took pictures of, before our move. I figured since it was so easy and took about 5 minutes, it really wouldn't be that hard to get out of the way.
I threw it together and we had it as an appetizer before we ate our dinner. The verdict was split right down the middle. Half of us loved it. I mean really, really loved it. Half of us-not so much. Some adults loved it and so did some kids. The opposite was also true.
My gazpacho really didn't turn out white at all. I think it is because I didnt peel all of the skin off the cucumber. The color of the gazpacho in the cookbook, is much lighter.
It was fast and quite elegant looking (in my opinion), so if you love cucumbers and vinegar, try it out.
To see what the other CEiMBer's thought, check out the Craving Ellie Blogroll!

White Gazpacho with Grapes and Toasted Almonds
2007 Ellie Krieger
Ingredients
2 large English cucumbers (or 3 large regular cucumbers), peeled and roughly chopped
3 slices white bread, crusts removed
1/2 cup warm water
3 cloves garlic
6 scallions, whites only, divided
1/4 cup white wine vinegar or Sherry vinegar, plus more, to taste
1 teaspoon lemon juice, plus more to taste
1/4 cup plus 4 teaspoons slivered almonds, lightly toasted, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more, to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup green grapes, halved
Directions
Set aside 1 cup of chopped cucumber for a garnish. Soak the bread in water until soft, about 2 minutes.
Place soaked bread, the rest of the cucumber, garlic, 3 of the scallions, vinegar, lemon juice, 1/4 cup of the almonds, salt and 3 tablespoons of olive oil in the bowl of a food processor and process until cucumbers are completely blended and liquid and almonds are almost completely invisible, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Season with additional salt and vinegar, if desired.
To serve, ladle 1 cup gazpacho into a bowl. Mound 1/4 cup reserved chopped cucumber, 1 tablespoon scallions, 2 tablespoons grapes and 1 teaspoon almonds in the center of the soup.


Up Next- Vegetable Soup- Warm or Cold

15 comments:

Marie Rayner said...

Your pictures are really lovely Mary Ann. I hope that you are settling in alright at your new home.

Amy I. said...

Hi Mary Ann, glad I found your blog, this was my first CEiMB recipe and I'm excited to see what everyone came up with :) My gazpacho came out pretty green too, about the same as yours. Hope your move went well!

Netts Nook said...

Your Gazpacho looks perfect. Good luck on the move. I am a Gazpacho lover myself.

Jessica said...

I really like the green hue of your gazpacho and I think that I'll try to leave the skins on the next time I make this. I'm not surprised that your tasters were split on this recipe -- it seems like a very "love it" or "hate it" flavor.

Maria said...

Love this one! Great for summer!

Anonymous said...

I like the way yours turned out really green. It looks much more refreshing.
We loved it. It was our first taste of Gazpacho.

Sara said...

It looks great as usual. Mine was just a bit too garlicky but I enjoyed the flavor and the crunchy grapes and almonds.

Thistlemoon said...

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Cathy said...

I actually think the soup looks just as pretty, if not prettier, with the green undertones! Glad that half your gang enjoyed this! I liked it, but will have to play around with it next time because I felt that it was too garlicky. Your soup is beautiful!

nick said...

We're calling it: White (green) gazpacho over here :)

Looks good!

The Blonde Duck said...

I'm in love with that burrito pie.

AJM said...

I like it better green too! Green is good!!!

What's for Supper? said...

Glad that some of you liked it!

Leslie said...

Yours is perfect! Mine was greenish, too. We both loved it a lot.

Anonymous said...

I love cold soup. Especially with fruit. This looks delicious.