Tomato Gazpacho with Cherries and Goats Cheese
RECIPE BY DAVID WILLCOCKS, THE SURLY GOAT
PHOTOGRAPHY BY RICHARD CORNISH
Tomato Gazpacho with Cherries and Goats Cheese by David Willcocks, Surly Goat, Hepburn Springs.
Chef David Willcocks worked in the south of Spain where he dined with famed chef Dani Garcia. This is his take on Garcia’s gazpacho. Served well-chilled is a refreshing dish on a hot day. The addition of the cherry puree to the gazpacho lifts the tomatoes with its sweetness and adds an extra dimension to the classic Spanish dish. Garnish with a few ripe tomatoes, pitted cherries, grated frozen cherve, a fillet of good quality Spanish anchovies and pistachios, or equally keep a bottle in the fridge as David does in his house to be enjoyed whenever.
INGREDIENTS
1KG RIPE TOMATOES DICED
ONION CHOPPED
RED CAPSICUM SEEDED AND CHOPPED
CLOVE O F GARLIC
50ML EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE O I L
1 SLICE TWO-DAY OLD WHITE BREAD, BROKEN INTO SMALL PIECES
30G SHERRY VINEGAR
250G CHERRIES, PITTED AND PUREED UNTIL SMOOTH
SALT
4 CHERRY TOMATOES
4 CHERRIES
EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
4 ANCHOVIES
40G FROZEN GOATS CHEESE (OPTIONAL)
METHOD
In a blender, add the tomatoes, onion, capsicum, garlic and bread. Blend on high speed for 5 minutes or until smooth, season with the salt, vinegar and olive oil and blend again to incorporate. Pass through a sieve to remove any remaining seeds and tomato skin. Return the soup to the blender and incorporate the cherry puree, once smooth check the seasoning and adjust to your preferred taste with the salt and vinegar and chill the soup well prior to serving
Serve the chilled soup directly into a chilled bowl and decorate with ripe tomatoes into bite size pieces and mix with a couple of pitted cherry halves and spoon onto one side of the bowl. Lay a fillet of anchovy over the tomatoes.
Drizzle a small amount of olive oil onto the soup and place a few kernels of pistachio around.
Just prior to serving, grate the frozen goat’s cheese over the tomatoes. Serve with a glass of fino sherry.