French-Inspired Gazpacho with Brioche Croutons
Today I am joining a few friends for our favorite outdoor recipes. It took me about five seconds to decide to make gazpacho. It’s been so hot on the East Coast that a cold soup as a starter seems like the perfect thing.
Our host at the place we stay in Provence served it to us one night on their terrace along with this pizza. Both had French influences in the ingredients. Gazpacho isn’t native to France, but French cooks have embraced and refined it by adding herbes de Provence, fruit variations like melon, and elegant touches such as brioche croutons seasoned with herbes de Provence to a fundamentally Spanish dish.
The Ingredients for French-inspired gazpacho
- Heirloom tomatoes
- Melon (optional)
- Jalapeno
- Shallot
- Garlic
- Fresh basil
- Sherry vinegar
- Flaky sea salt
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Herbes de Provence
- Bricohe rolls or bread
- French butter
- Fresh thyme leaves
Steps to making gazpacho
- Roughly chop the heirloom tomatoes and, if using, the melon. Add a small shallot, sliced, one garlic clove, sliced, and a bit of jalapeño (seeds removed for less heat, left in for more).Process — Pulse everything together in a food processor until fully broken down, adding a splash of sherry vinegar and the olive oil as you go to help it emulsify.
- Strain — Pass the mixture through a fine mesh sieve, pressing with a spatula or the back of a wooden spoon to extract as much liquid as possible while leaving behind the pulp, skins, and seeds. This is what gives you that clean, silky, almost consommé-like texture rather than a chunky soup.
- Season and adjust — Taste the strained liquid and adjust with more vinegar, and salt.
- Chill — Refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.
- Garnish and serve — Pour into small chilled glasses, then top with the garnish, a final drizzle of olive oil, and a pinch of flakey sea salt.
How to garnish the gazpacho
This is my favorite part. Making a yummy dish pretty! There are many ways to garnish gazpacho. I used a little very small-dice red pepper, tiny cucumbers along with some thyme leaves.
The best part, in my opinion, and what makes it a little French are the brioche croutons made with salted French butter, brioche bread cubes, and herbes de Provence. I just toasted them stove-top in my non-stick Caraway skillet. Took two minutes and they were perfect!
Serve in small chilled french Duralex Picardie glasses
Duralex glassware has long been a favorite of mine. We’ve had them since we first got married. Only recently did I add the smaller Picardie tumblers, and I find that we use them all the time! Perfect for serving gazpacho on the porch in the summer!
I hope you enjoyed my take on gazpacho. I’ve never been a fan until I had it in Provence. I used to think it was like eating salsa without chips. Straining it and serving it with a little garnish, and a drizzle of olive oil makes all the difference. I’d love to know your experience with gazpacho!
Let’s check in to see what Cindy, Mary Ann, Kim, Juliet, and Elizabeth made for outdoor recipes!
French-Inspired Gazpacho with Brioche Croutons
- Prep Time: 35 minutes + 2 hours chilling time
- Cook Time: 2 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 37 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 1x
Ingredients
For the gazpacho
- 2 pounds heirloom tomatoes, cored and cut into large chunks
- 1 large shallot, sliced
- 1 garlic clove, sliced
- 1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 handful of fresh basil, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 1 1/2 – 2 teaspoons flaky sea salt
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
For the brioche croutons
- 1 brioche roll or bun, cubed
- 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
- 2 tablespoons salted French butter
For the garnish
- 1 small piece red pepper, diced small
- 1 mini cucumber, diced small
- Fresh thyme leaves
- Drizzle of extra-virgin oilve oil
Instructions
- In the bowl of a food processor, add the chopped tomatoes, shallot, garlic, and jalapeño and blend until smooth. Add the basil, salt, and vinegar, and blend together.
- Then, with the motor running, add the olive oil and blend until emulsified.
- Pour into a fine-mesh sieve over a large bowl to strain out the solids.
- You can help this along by using the back of a wooden spoon. Discard the solids.
- Chill for at least two hours.
- When ready to serve, chill the glasses, and make the croutons by melting the butter in a nonstick pan on the stovetop, and adding the cubed bread, herbes de Provence, and flaky sea salt. Toss until toasted.
- Pour the soup into a large measuring cup and fill the glasses.
- Top with the garnish of chopped red pepper, chopped cucumber, brioche breadcrumbs, and fresh thyme leaves.
Notes
When garnishing the gazpacho in the cups, start with the brioche croutons, then top with the finely diced red pepper, cucumber, and thyme leaves; this way, they don’t sink into the soup and get lost.
I’d like to have this dish tonight. Or better yet for lunch!
Annie, this gazpacho look delicious and refreshing!
Leave it to you Annie to come up with a “french inspired” gazpacho! It sounds amazing. I love gazpacho and haven’t fixed it once this summer!
Annie! Your gazpacho couldn’t be more perfect for these hot August nights. As pretty as it is delish. I love those Duralex glasses too. And they’re ideal for summer gazpacho with all your pretty garnish. Brioche croutons … you know how to kick things up a notch! xo