A refreshing and delicious cold soup made with almonds, bread, garlic, and olive oil, served with a cucumber and melon sorbet on top.
- 80 grams of peeled raw almonds
- 100 grams of bread crumbs
- 2 garlic cloves
- 10 milliliters of vinegar
- 80 milliliters of olive oil
- a pinch of salt
- 800 grams of cantaloupe melon
- 50 grams of sugar
- 1 lemon
- 1 cucumber
- basil or mint leaves for decoration
Cut the melon: Remove the rind and seeds from the melon. Take 4 balls of pulp using a special tool and set them aside in the fridge. Cut the remaining melon into cubes.
Make a syrup: In a saucepan, add the sugar and 50 ml of water. Bring it to a boil and cook until the sugar dissolves. Remove the syrup from heat and let it cool. Squeeze the lemon and strain the juice.
Prepare the sorbet: Blend the melon cubes in a blender. Add the prepared syrup and lemon juice, and mix until well combined. Pour this mixture into a shallow metal container and freeze for at least 3 hours.
Leave it in the freezer: Take the sorbet out of the freezer and let it soften a bit. Blend it again to break the ice crystals. Freeze the sorbet for 1 more hour, blend it again, and leave it in the freezer until ready to serve.
Soften the bread: Place the bread crumbs for the ajoblanco in a bowl and pour 100 ml of water over it, in a steady stream. Be careful not to add too much water, the bread should absorb just enough to soften without falling apart.
Toast the almonds: Preheat the oven to 180C. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and toast them for 5-6 minutes in the oven. Remove them and transfer to the blender along with the peeled garlic cloves. Blend until smooth.
Blend the mixture: Add the soaked bread crumbs, vinegar, olive oil, and salt to the blender, and blend again until you get a smooth mixture. Pour in 400 ml of cold water and continue blending. Adjust the salt if needed and let it rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
Serve in glasses: Wash and dice the cucumber. Divide the ajoblanco into 4 tall glasses, along with the sorbet, cucumber cubes, and the reserved melon balls. Garnish with washed basil or mint leaves and serve.