Chilled Beet Gazpacho

Chilled Beet Gazpacho

Serves 2-4

Steam one pound of beets (without their leaves) until easily pierced with a knife. Once cool enough to handle, slip off their skins and dice.

In a food processor or blender, combine the beets with:

2-4 cloves fresh garlic (depending on your love of garlic!)
1 chopped red onion (no more than ¼ cup)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
Sea salt
2 cups ice water

Process until completely smooth. Season with more sherry vinegar and salt, if needed.  Pour into a bowl, cover and chill for at least three hours. 

Notes:  Once chilled, you can give the soup another blast with the blender and serve as is with some minced chives or dill for garnish or you can embellish it just a bit by adding ½ cup crème fraiche or sour cream.  If you are dairy-free you can make a cashew cream by combining ½ cup of soaked cashews (soak for at least four hours and no more than six hours) with a little water and blend to make a cream.  Add the soup and blend until smooth.  The dairy or cashew cream adds a smoother, richer texture to the soup and mellows the flavors.  Delish!

Recipe found in the Saturday Food Section of the Wall Street Journal.  It originally came from Parisian chef Roland Durand.