Chilled Heirloom Tomato Soup with Dungeness Crab and Avocado

Fresh-tasting and forward-thinking, this is an ideal dish for tapping into the final seasonal crop of heirloom tomatoes.

6 medium yellow heirloom tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 tsp (5 mL) Champagne vinegar
Pinch sugar
1 ripe avocado
1/4 of an English cucumber, seeded and finely diced
1 lime, juiced
1/2 pound (225 g) fresh Dungeness crab meat
1 medium red heirloom tomato, seeded and finely diced
1 dash Tabasco
2 tsp (10 mL) grainy Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp (45 mL) whipping cream
Salt to taste

In a food processor, puree the yellow tomatoes. Push the puree through a fine mesh sieve in another bowl and season with the Champagne vinegar, sugar, and salt to taste. Chill immediately over an ice bath, in the fridge; this ensures that the tomatoes don’t lose their water.

In a small bowl, mash the peeled avocado slightly. Mix in the cucumber and the lime juice to taste.

In another small bowl, mix the crab meat with the diced red tomato, Tabasco, and Dijon. Whisk the whipping cream into soft peaks and add half to the crab mixture–just enough to bind the crab mixture together. Add more whipped cream if necessary.

To assemble, chill four soup plates. Use a ring mould on the centre of each plate or just place the avocado mixture in the centre and top with the crab mixture. Pour the yellow tomato soup around each salad and serve. Serves 4.

source: "Cru", alive #287, September 2006