Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho

There’s nothing like being a chef in the Hudson Valley at this time of year. With all the great local ingredients available from our favorite farms such as Migliorelli Farm, Sky Farms, Brittany Hollow to name a few, the Terrapin menu becomes that much more robust with local fresh flavors.

So the next time you stop in, try the Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho, a seasonal addition to the menu, or make it at home with tomatoes from your garden and enjoy.

Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho

• 5 slices White Bread
• 5 pounds Heirloom Tomatoes, cored, seeded & chopped
• ½ cup Red Bell Pepper, chopped
• ½ cup Poblano Chile, chopped
• 2 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoon Raw Garlic, chopped
• ¼ cup Roasted Garlic
• 1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar
• ½ cup Extra virgin olive oil
• To Taste Salt, pepper, honey
  

Garnish:

• Diced, peeled tomatoes
• Diced yellow peppers
• Diced poblanos
• Chopped scallions
• Crème fraîche

In a blender combine all ingredients except oil, salt, pepper and honey. You will need to do this in batches, depending on the size of your blender. Fill the blender no more than half full. Divide the oil into the amount of batches you will need to do. Puree until smooth, then add the oil to the blender while it is running to create an emulsification. Combine batches in a large pot or plastic container. In the container, season the soup to taste. Depending on the sweetness of the tomatoes and your personal taste, you may choose to add a little honey or leave it out completely.

For the garnish, you are looking to add a little texture to the dish. Add one or two tablespoons of chopped vegetables to each bowl and a dollop of crème fraîche. Serve with a piece of crusty French bread.

Sometimes, you just want a Great Burger

As a fine dining chef, I always had this strange desire to serve hamburgers. It's something that I always love to eat, so I thought it would be great to make a Great Hamburger.

Now I have the opportunity. There's the fine dining side of the restaurant and the bistro side.

At Terrapin Red Bistro I get to do all kinds of fun, comfort stuff like macaroni and cheese, fish n chips and hamburgers.

You know, as a chef, you need to continually develop. On the fine dining side, I still have that menu where I can feature stuff that I'm proud of in terms of its culinary achievement. I'm equally proud of Terrapin Red Bistro, because it's good food and good to eat.

We use natural meat and that is actually a subject I care a lot about.

Sometimes, you just want a great burger. When you do, you should try one of ours, because frankly, we serve the best burger you'll ever eat.