Tomato and Peach Gazpacho

I go through phases every summer of which seasonal fruit is my favorite. Right now I'm on a peaches kick. Can't get enough of them. Lots of other fruits have been used for gazpacho, but peaches are sadly overlooked. It's too bad, because they're perfect for it. Just enough substance, juice and sweetness to temper the tomatoes.

This is a really easy soup. If you can, try to make it well ahead of time and let it sit in the fridge to get really nice and cold. The flavors will develop even more during that time. Seriously, take a taste before you put it in, then a taste after a few hours in the fridge. Big difference. It'll be really good no matter when you eat it, but it's an interesting detail.

I didn't peel the peaches or the tomatoes for this because that's a lot of extra work. Just strain out the pureed soup before finishing it and you'll be fine. Or leave it in, if that suits you.

Ingredients
 - 1 clove garlic, minced 
 - 1 shallot, chopped
 - 1 tbsp olive oil 
 - 2 lbs heirloom tomatoes, quartered 
 - 1 lb ripe yellow peaches, quartered 
 - 1 bunch fresh thyme, chopped
 - 1 tsp sea salt
 - 2/3 cup vegan cream (I use soy creamer)
 - 1 tbsp unrefined cane sugar

Heat the oil in a medium pot. Don't go super hot or you'll burn the garlic. Drop in the garlic and shallot and saute them for a couple of minutes, until the garlic is fragrant. Add the tomatoes, peaches, thyme and salt and turn the heat up to medium high. Cook it all for about 15 minutes, stirring often with a wooden spoon to help break the tomatoes and peaches down. By the end, it should still be a bit chunky, but mostly soft and liquified.

It'll start like this:

 
Almost there...

Here we go.

Transfer the peaches and tomatoes to a blender and process. You may need to work in batches, depending on how big your blender is. 

Pour the soup through a fine-mesh sieve back into the pot. You may have to use a ladle to help it get through after a bit. Don't push it through, though. Put the pot back over medium-low heat. Add the cream and sugar and stir it well to incorporate. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes, then pour it into a bowl and put it in the fridge for at least an hour to chill. This would be a good time to also put your soup bowls into the freezer to chill until you're ready to serve. Garnish with some extra thyme or oregano on top and serve it with some toasted crusty bread.