Yellow Tomato Gazpacho and a New Blender

I bought a new toy for my kitchen -- a soup maker and blender, which made making this cold soup a breeze. I've been meaning to buy a good blender for some time -- ever since my food processor packed it in. I did some online research and determined that a Breville or Cuisinart were the best bets for the money (the Vitamix blender is probably THE best, but I was not prepared to invest that kind of money in a blender).

After looking at all the models I decided on the Cuisinart -- largely because it had the most power, at 900w, in my price range. It also has the added feature of being able to saute in the blender jar and keep a soup hot when serving. This wasn't a feature on my must-have list, but now that I have it, I think it will come in handy for making smooth sauces.

As for the soup itself -- here is the recipe. It's from Suzanne Goin (one of my very favourite chefs) and I followed it to the tee. I was able to get nice ripe yellow heirloom tomatoes at the market -- a must for this to turn out optimally. As Suzanne says in her notes that accompany the recipe, "you end up with unexpectedly dramatic results from a foolproof recipe that is easy to make."

Now this is what summer tastes like!