Tomaotoes and berries, lively lemon, wild fennel

Serves 4

If the tomato has always seemed to be in perfect harmony with strawberry and raspberry, it’s because, as a distant cousin, it’s also a luscious fruit. In this seaside stroll, lemon and wild fennel bring their notes of freshness and acidity and the flavours become complex.

Equipment :
4 large Burgundy wine glasses
Nonstick baking tray
Conical strainer
Mandoline
12 small sake bowls
Frying pan
Small loaf tin

INGREDIENTS :
Berry gazpacho
6 tomatoes
125 g strawberries (5 oz)
125 g raspberries (5 oz)
2 tbsp sugar

Dried tomatoes
1 tomato
300 g sugar (11 oz)
250 ml water (1 cup)

Lemon ice cream
260 g sugar (9 1/2 oz)
6 eggs
5 lemons
90 g butter (3 1/2 oz)
125 g plain yoghurt (1/2 cup)
A few sprigs wild fennel

Semi-cooked tomato
2 tomatoes
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt
Sugar
White pepper

Garnish
Sake bowls
12 raspberries
4 strawberries
20 confit tomato segments

PREPARATION :

Berry gazpacho: remove the tomato skins by dipping them for a few seconds into boiling water. Squeeze out the seeds and blend the tomatoes, strawberries, raspberries and sugar. Strain through a fine strainer, pressing out the pulp well, and set aside in a cool place.

Dried tomatoes: cut the tomato into very thin rounds using a mandoline. Bring the sugar and water to a boil to obtain a syrup. Place the tomato rounds in the warm syrup. Leave them to cool completely, then strain and place them on parchment paper to place in the oven at 90 C. Turn them over from time to time. Once they are crisp, set them aside in a sealed tin.

Lemon ice cream: zest the lemons and squeeze the juice. Add half the sugar and bring to a boil. Whisk the remaining sugar with the eggs. Combine both mixtures and cook over low heat as for a custard. Strain through a fine strainer, add the butter and, when the mixture has cooled, stir in the yoghurt. Freeze in an ice cream maker. Set aside in the freezer.

Semi-cooked tomatoes: remove the tomato skins by dipping them for a few seconds in boiling water. Cut them into 6 segments and remove the seeds. Sprinkle with salt, sugar and pepper and toss them well in the olive oil. Arrange them without overlapping on the baking sheet.

Prepare the small sake bowls: cut the strawberries in half. Leave the raspberries whole. Cut the tomatoes into thin strips. Place a few strawberries, raspberries and tomatoes in each bowl, then pour in a little gazpacho.

TO FINISH
Pour the rest of the berry gazpacho into each glass. Add a few strips of confit tomatoes and a round of dried tomatoes on top.
In the four sake bowls, place a teaspoon of lemon ice cream and a few sprigs of wild fennel. Serve.