You bet. I had dinner last night at a Basque restaurant, and they had an "ajo blanco" much like you describe. Unfortunately, I didn't try it. But I did have one just like that a few weeks ago at a place near Gramercy Park.
And I found this one -- no cucumber, but otherwise close: Gazpacho Blanco from Soup, Beautiful Soup by Felipe Rojas-Lombardi
12 oz. blanched almonds, ground to make 3 cups
5 slices white bread without crusts, ground to make a scant 2 cups
6 cups milk
2 cloves lightly crushed garlic, skin left on
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoon medium-dry sherry
1 Tablespoon good olive oil
2 teaspoons coarse salt
Garnish: 1/2 pound seedless white grapes, about 2 cups
In a large glass, ceramic, or stainless steel bowl, combine the ground almonds, bread crumbs, milk, garlic cloves (skewered with toothpicks for easy removal) and cayenne. Let soak for 20 minutes, or until the almonds and bread crumbs are quite soft. Discard the garlic and puree the mixture, a few cups at a time, in the blender. It will have a grainy texture. When the soup is all blended, return to the original bowl, cover, and let chill thoroughly: it should be very, very cold. To speed the chilling, you can place the bowl in a larger container that holds ice cubes, a little water, and lots of salt.
While the soup cools, peel the grapes with a paring knife and refrigerate. When well chilled, stir in the sherry, olive oil, and salt to taste.
To serve, bring the soup to the table in a cold tureen, with the grapes in a separate bowl. Ladle the soup into chilled soup plates -- glass bowls are good -- adding a handful of grapes to each serving. |