As you know, my friend, David Chrighton (Fine Dining at Home) was on Master Chef UK last fall (I know, sooooo cool). He went all the way to the finals! Sadly, he didn’t win the title, but OMG, he went ALL THE WAY to the finals! David is a Captain for an airline and flies commercial jets. I can certainly see how nerve wracking Master Chef can be, and that’s where his pilot nerves of steel came into play! Not that he wasn’t a wee bit nervous (we did spot a few beads of sweat on his brow) but he never wavered, not even when he was cooking a Michelin Star Chef’s recipe! Ashley Palmer-Watt, head chef of Fat Duck, three-star-Michelin resto in Bray, was a guest on the show on Episode 24. Each participant had 5 hours (5 HOURS!) to complete one of Chef Ashley’s famous recipes. David lucked out and got one the most complicated recipes with 120 stages of preparation! Now THAT is stressful!
Now don’t get into a tizzy that I will post one of these complicated recipes, no sirree, I don’t have the the patience, but one of the positive windfalls of being a runner-up on Masterchef UK, is that Dave is now a celebrity chef! He is still a pilot but he also does pop-up restaurants and demonstrations at fairs and markets! During one such pop-up, he posted an awesome looking white gazpacho and since we were having a heat wave, I knew I had to recreate it for a dinner party. Dave didn’t post the recipe so I improvised; my version was a light green so I called it Spring Green Gazpacho!
The recipe is rich in flavour but not heavy. A variety of complex flavours coat the mouth and speaking of mouth, it has an incredibly smooth and creamy mouthfeel. Thank you, Dave, for the inspiration. By the way, Dave totally rocked that complicated recipe for Chef Ashley.
Spring Green Gazpacho
A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe
Makes 600 mL
To print recipe, please click here.
Ingredients:
- 175 g cucumber, roughly chopped
- 150 g grilled corned, removed from cob
- 100 g avocado, peeled and chopped
- 125 mL milk (avocado gives the fat, so feel free to use a low fat milk)
- 1 lime, zested and juiced
- 3 g fresh basil leaves
- 100 g Greek yogurt
- 20 g toasted almond flour
- salt, to taste
- Cubed cucumber, grilled corn, pomegranate arils, chiffonade of fresh basil as garnish
Directions:
- Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Press through a fine sieve. Store in the refrigerator for maximum 4 days.
- Serve chilled with a garnish of chopped cucumbers, fresh basil and grilled corn and pomegranate arils.
The north certainly has had more than its share of hot weather. Your soup looks and sounds cooling and refreshing.
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Thank you for your comment, Karen. Yes it has indeed been a particularly hot and humid summer. We had a record temperature yesterday.
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I made your tasty delicious green gazpacho & loved every spoonful! So yummy! x
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I am thrilled that you enjoyed it Sophie. Would you mind sending me a pic next time?
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It looks like a lovely refreshing and very original soup! Very elegant too! I love all the ingredients (except for milk but I could add more Greek yogurt), so I’m sure I’d enjoy it. Especially if it was served as beautifully as you did!
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Thank you Sissi, we really needed refreshing this summer, it has been incredibly hot and humid. But I am not complaining, winter will be upon us in no time.
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Wow pilot training would definitely have helped with 120 steps-that’s crazy! Love the look of this soup.
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Yes, the recipe was complicated to say the least. Thank you for your lovely comment about the soup.
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Love cold soup! Particularly gazpacho. One of the neat things about gazpacho is how many different versions of it you can make. Yours looks wonderful. Love the color, too. Thanks!
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Indeed, John, the soup was lovely and refreshing for the hot and humid days we have been enjoying.
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This looks like a very tasty cold soup. I reserve the word gazpacho for the original version with tomatoes and bread. The corn is an interesting ingredient in your mix. It adds sweetness and body.
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Ahhh yes, I’ve gotten flak for calling a cold soup gazpacho before. I am quite fond of the original one with tomatoes and bread, we learned how to make an authentic version in Madrid at a cooking school. Thanks for your comment Stefan, I like to use grilled corn when I have it as it does add a beautiful sweetness with some smoke.
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This has a winning combo of flavors in my book and looks so smooth and creamy. A perfect meal for a hot day, indeed! Congrats to your friend for making it to the finals… quite an accomplishment!
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Thanks Betsy, it is quite refreshing on a hot and humid day.
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Grilled corned, avocado, lime, basil, yogurt, toasted almond flour … I mean, come on! What an insanely delicious combination!
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Thanks Jeff, it’s truly delicious and rather simple to make.
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Our heat wave has (happily) broken. But it’s still a warm summer and this looks delicious. GREG
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I am so glad to hear that, Greg. We have also had some reprieve from the hellish humidity this month, but it’s still warm. Thank you for your kind words.
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I watched the last part of Masterchef – that is something I could never do. I can’t even play trivial pursuit without panicking… How do you know David? I mean, you live on different continents! Or do you mean virtual friend?!! In any case, this is a lovely soup. And such a pretty color.
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Hi Mimi, we met Dave in London a couple of years ago when JT and traveled there. He kindly came up from Manchester to see us. Then, last year, his company flew to Toronto and he requested the post so when he stayed in TO one night, JT and I gave him the royal foodie tour. I have been very fortunate to have met many of the bloggers (10 so far) who have commented on my blog. When we visit a city that one of my bloggers live in, I always reach out to see if they would like to meet, sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t. The one thing that is common is that they are all wonderful people. Thank you for your comment.
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Very nice. And he seems so kind. I’ve only met three! No, four. But one has passed away. I remember when I told a friend I was driving to Dallas to meet 2 food bloggers, who were both men, she was a little worried! It does sound odd – two men you’ve met online!!!
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Yes, Dave is lovely and very creative in the kitchen. It’s funny because we spend a lot of time in Arizona but I don’t know any bloggers there!
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I do the same thing meeting food bloggers or invite them over to meet me. I have lost count, but it must be several dozen by now. And I agree, all wonderful people. Mimi among them. I used to be in touch with David through our blogs, but he seemed to have stopped. Thanks to you I now know why.
My upcoming trip to Southern Italy will be an exception to the rule as that I don’t know any bloggers there — they are all from the north for some reason.
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It is a wonderful community. Hopefully, one day we will meet as well.
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What creamy goodness! Bet the avocado adds lots of flavours here.
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Thank you kindly Angie, it sure was packed with fresh, summer flavours.
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So darn smooth and creamy! What a delightful, delicious version of gazpacho!
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Thank you, Liz, it was a delightful summer soup.
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