Instructions

For the gazpacho

1. Cut a cross in the bottom of each tomato and plunge them into boiling water for 30 seconds to a minute. Remove the tomatoes from the pot and run them under cold water. Peel off the skin, cut into quarters and scoop out the seeds.
2. Put the peeled and seeded tomatoes, green pepper, cucumber, onion, apple, garlic and bread into a blender and process until smooth. Now add the olive oil, sherry vinegar and salt. Put it into the fridge for several hours or overnight.
3. Once chilled, taste and adjust the seasonings. If it’s very thick, you can add a bit of cold water. It’s a soup so you don’t want it the consistency of a sauce, but it does need to be slightly thick so that the caviar sits on top without sinking.

For the balsamic caviar

1. Put the oil into the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour until it is almost to the point of freeing. If it starts to freeze around the edges, give it a stir.
2. If using agar agar powder, put the balsamic vinegar into a small pot over medium heat and add the agar. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, until the agar has fully dissolved.
3. If using agar strings/threads, soak the agar in ¼ cup of water for 30 minutes and put the vinegar in a small pan. Put the agar and water into a small pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, until the agar has fully dissolved. When the agar is beginning to dissolve, turn the heat on under the vinegar and bring it to a simmer. Pour the dissolved agar into the heated vinegar, stirring constantly.
4. Take the vinegar and agar mix off the heat and allow to cool for about 5 minutes while stirring constantly. When it feels like it’s beginning to thicken, take your oil from the freezer and pour it into a tall glass. Put some vinegar into your dropper or squeeze bottle and start dropping it into your cold oil. Depending on the size of the hole in your bottle, one drop will make caviar-sized balls, 3 drops in the same place will make pearl-sized balls. I recommend working with a small amount of vinegar at a time to develop your technique and putting the remaining vinegar over low heat to prevent it from solidifying while you work.
5. If your balls are deformed it could be that your vinegar is still too hot or your oil isn’t cold enough. If your vinegar gets sticky before you’re finished, put it back into the pot and warm it slightly.
6. Strain the caviar from the oil and rinse under cold water.
7. Serve your chilled gazpacho however you would like and top with a spoonful of balsamic caviar and a small basil leaf or chives.