Cucumber, Crème Fraiche and Horseradish Soup with Oysters
(Serves: 4)
Difficulty: easy
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
For the soup:
- 1 ½ telegraph cucumbers
- 200 ml crème fraiche
- 3 teaspoons fresh grated horseradish
- Oyster juices (see below)
- Salt
- 100 ml water
- ½ lemon juiced
To serve
- Remaining half of the cucumber cut into spaghetti sized strips on a mandolin
- 4 radishes cut very finely on the mandolin
- 12 oysters shucked reserving the juices
- salt and pepper
Method
Cut the cucumber into small pieces and put into the blender with the crème fraiche, horseradish and the oyster juices if using. Blend the soup until smooth and season with salt. Pass the soup through a sieve. There will be quite a lot of waste. Chill.
Season the cucumber strips with a little salt and a squeeze of lemon and form 3 little piles of the spaghetti in the bottom of 4 bowls. Top the cucumber with one oyster and top the oyster with a round of radish and a little crème fraiche. Pour the soup round the bottom of the bowls and drizzle with lemon oil if desired. For a touch of theatre, present the bowls to each diner before you pour the soup in to the bowls. Pour the soup from a china jug into the bowl in front of your guests. It looks great.
Keith Stewart’s wine suggestion
Lustau Manzanilla Papirusa ½ bottle
Lindauer Reserve Blanc de Blancs
Escarpment Pinot Gris 2007