Chilled Cucumber-Avocado Soup with Basil Oil, Pickled Radish and Sourdough Crisps

01

Ingredients

• 600 g cucumber, weighed after peeling, halving and scooping out the watery seed channel
• 200 g ripe avocado flesh, about 2 small avocados
• 200 mL cold drinking water, plus up to 50 mL to adjust the soup
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) fresh lemon juice
• 1 small garlic clove (3 g), finely grated
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt (1.5 g), for the soup
• 20 g fresh basil leaves, plus 8 tiny leaves for garnish
• 3 tablespoons (40 g) extra-virgin olive oil, for the basil oil
• 80 g small radishes, very thinly sliced
• 40 mL unseasoned rice vinegar
• 40 mL water, for the pickle
• 2 teaspoons (8 g) vegan-labelled granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt (1.5 g), for the pickle
• 60 g vegan sourdough bread, cut into 8 thin, narrow shards
• 1 teaspoon (5 g) olive oil, for the crisps

02

Prepare the dish

1. 1. Heat the oven to 170 C (340 F). Line a baking sheet with parchment. Brush the bread shards lightly on both sides with the 1 teaspoon olive oil. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, until dry and golden. Cool completely on a rack; they crisp further as they cool.
2. 2. Dissolve the sugar and pickle salt in the rice vinegar and 40 mL water. Add the radish slices, separate them gently and leave for 20 minutes while making the soup. For delicate petals, use a sharp knife; if using a mandoline, keep its hand guard on.
3. 3. Roughly chop the cucumber. Blend it with the avocado, 200 mL cold water, lemon juice, garlic and soup salt for 60 to 90 seconds, scraping down the jug once, until completely smooth. Add up to 50 mL additional water in small splashes if needed: it should pour in a soft ribbon rather than stand like a purée.
4. 4. Pass the soup through a fine sieve into a clean bowl, pressing gently with a ladle. Cover its surface and refrigerate for 90 minutes, until thoroughly cold. Set four broad shallow soup bowls in the refrigerator for the final 15 minutes.
5. 5. Pound the 20 g basil leaves to a paste in a mortar, or chop them very finely. Stir in the 3 tablespoons olive oil, then press through a fine sieve into a small cup. Refrigerate until plating. This makes more oil than a few decorative drops: divide the full amount among the four servings, with a restrained drizzle added at the table.
6. 6. Just before serving, stir the chilled soup until uniform. Drain the radishes well and pat them lightly with kitchen paper. Keep the crisps dry and separate until the very last moment, then follow the plating sequence.