The Ice

I’ve written quite a bit about the Gourmet Club that I am a part of. After our last dinner, we were given the theme for our next one – Fire and Ice! Having the soup/salad course, I had a lot of options to go with. Ultimately I decided to serve side-by-side soups, one hot (both in temperature and spice level) and one cold (same).

In my search for cool soups, I tried this one out and loved it. It became my “Ice” entry.

Cucumber Gazpacho with Toasted Rye Croutons

The original recipe, and what I made here, had a serrano pepper which brought a little heat, so I left it out for the dinner.

I cheated and used rye croutons instead of making my own.

Delicious!

Cucumber Gazpacho with Toasted Rye Croutons

Servings: 4 (serving size: 2/3 cup soup and about 1/4 cup croutons) (Scaled)

Ingredients:

1 1/3 garlic cloves, divided
2 cups chopped peeled Kirby cucumber (about 1 pound)
1 1/3 cups chopped green tomato (about 1 large)
1 cups chopped honeydew melon
1/3 cup finely chopped sweet onion
0.22 cup finely chopped celery
1 2/3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 2/3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2/3 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon
1/3 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 seedless rye bread slices, cubed (about 2 ounces)
2/3 teaspoon finely minced serrano chile
1/3 cup water (optional)

Directions:

1. Finely chop 1 garlic clove; place in an 11-cup food processor. Add cucumber and next 6 ingredients (through mint). Add 1 tablespoon oil, tarragon, and salt; process 1 minute or until almost smooth. (For smaller food processor bowls, work in 2 batches.) Cover and chill up to 8 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 450°.

3. Smash remaining garlic clove; place in a small bowl with remaining 1 teaspoon oil. Microwave at HIGH for 15 seconds; let stand 5 minutes. Drizzle garlic oil over bread cubes; toss to coat. Place bread on a jelly-roll pan. Bake at 450° for 8 minutes or until browned, turning once. Stir chile into chilled soup. Add up to 1/2 cup water to thin soup, if desired. Ladle soup into bowls; top with croutons.

Nutritional Info: Calories 97
Fat 3.7 g
Satfat 0.5 g
Monofat 1.6 g
Polyfat 1.2 g
Protein 2 g
Carbohydrate 15 g
Fiber 2 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Iron 1 mg
Sodium 277 mg
Calcium 37 mg

Source: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/cucumber-gazpacho-toasted-croutons