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Smoked
Tomato Soup with Cucumber Salad and Butter Poached Prawn
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| Smoking
draws out the earthy flavor of tomatoes. Yet, I only allow the
tomato to pick up a hint of smoke. If one goes to far, the tomato
will taste only of smoke and become quite bitter and acrid tasting.
Poaching
seafood in "buerre monte" is a classic French technique being
revisited in restaurants today. The water keeps the butter
from burning, allowing the prawns to stay incredibly tender
with a sheer coat of rich butter. The perfect technique to
stand up to smoked tomato soup.
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| Smoked
Tomato Soup |
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| 8
large roma tomatoes |
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Mesquite
chips for smoking |
| Ice
water bath |
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2
tbsp. fresh basil, chopped |
| 2
tbsp. extra virgin olive oil |
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1
tbsp. tomato paste |
| Salt
and pepper to taste |
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| Heat
a saucepan of water to the boiling point. Score the bottom of
each tomato with an X. Plunge the tomatoes into the boiling
water for about 1 minute until the skin begins to blister. Immediately
remove the tomatoes and place in an ice water bath. Pull off
the skins and cut the tomatoes in half. Cut out the core and
scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
Smoking
on your stovetop can be easy and inexpensive. I use aluminum
baking pans from the supermarket along with a little aluminum
foil. To start, buy two 9" x 14" x 3" aluminum pans. Place
the smoking chips in the bottom of the pan. Place a sheet
of foil on top of the pan and seal the edges. Cut 10 small
holes in the foil. This will allow the smoke to permeate the
tomatoes. Place the tomatoes on top of the foil. Careful,
these pans get HOT. Place the pan over a burner on the stovetop
and turn to high heat.
Just
when the chips begin to smoke, turn off the heat, cover with
another 9" x 14" aluminum pan and seal the edges with foil.
Let smoke 4-5 minutes. Remove the tomatoes and place in a
blender. Add the basil, olive oil and puree. Pour the soup
into a stockpot. Heat the pan over low and add the tomato
puree. Stir to incorporate the tomato paste. Season with salt
and pepper and keep warm.
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| Prawns |
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| 8
large prawns, shelled, tails left on, deveined |
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1
stick unsalted butter |
| 1
tbsp. water |
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Heat
the water over medium heat until it begins to simmer. Add
the butter and move the pan in a circular motion to incorporate.
Add the prawns and poach just until tender, about 4-5 minutes,
again moving the pan in a circular motion.
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| Cucumber
Salad |
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| 1
English cucumber, peeled |
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1
tsp. rice wine vinegar |
| 1
tsp. extra virgin olive oil |
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1
tsp. fresh dill, chopped |
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Cut cucumber
into thin ribbons using a mandoline or Japanese vegetable
slicer. Place cucumber in a bowl and add the vinegar, oil
and dill. Toss to coat and refrigerate, covered, until ready
to serve.
To serve,
ladle a pool of the warm tomato soup in a bowl. Add a small
portion of the cucumber salad. Top with two poached prawns.
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