Ajoblanco with Pear

Ajoblanco is a cold soup typical of Andalusian cuisine, made mainly with almond, bread, water, olive oil, salt, and vinegar. It is usually served with grapes or melon to make it more refreshing.

When I was studying cooking in Barcelona, we prepared this delicious white soup, but instead of serving it with grape or melon we added pear—pear right into the preparation—and to my surprise we ended up with a delicious ajoblanco: a balanced ajoblanco, with a touch of sweetness in which no single flavor overpowers the rest.

And since it's a top-notch cold soup, it should be dressed as it deserves; you'll see it's ideal served in the Laura Ashley dinnerware, which will simply dress our summer table and be the finishing touch for this summer recipe, very easy to prepare and truly delicious.

Laura Ashley kitchen towel, Laura Ashley porcelain plates and Laura Ashley bowl

Ingredients (for 6 people)

• 750gr ripe pear
• 150gr Marcona almond
• 100gr day-old breadcrumbs
• 2 blanched garlic cloves without the germ
• 200gr extra virgin oil
• 30gr apple cider vinegar
• 1 liter of water
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 tablespoon La Tourangelle Almond Oil (optional)
• 1 pear, sliced almonds, smoked salmon, and sprouts for garnish (optional)

Production

1. We arrange the almonds on a bowl, we cover them with water and leave them to soak in the fridge for at least 8 hours.
2. In the glass of the blender we place the almonds (without the water), the bread crumbs, the peeled and cored pears, the garlic cloves, the oil, the vinegar, the water, the salt, and the tablespoon of La Tourangelle almond oil. We blend well and let it rest for about 30 minutes.
3. After this time, we strain through a strainer smooth, if there's a lot of almond grit left, we blend it again with some of the liquid and emulsify it all together again.
4. Season with salt to taste, set aside, and serve very cold.
5. For garnish, I like to serve ajoblanco with salmon and pear skewers; they’re as simple to make as wrapping a small piece of pear in smoked salmon, and we arrange them on one side of our Ideal bowl by Laura Ashley and we top the soup with sprouts and sliced almonds

Laura Ashley kitchen towel, Laura Ashley porcelain plates, La Tourangelle Almond Oil and Laura Ashley bowl

Pear ajoblanco is ideal for surprising your guests, whether you serve it as an appetizer or even as a starter at any summer lunch or dinner. Perfect with smoked salmon or on its own, the key to enjoying it at its best is to serve it well chilled. Are you going to miss out?