I always love trying new food, especially when it comes to entertaining. We were chatting with food stylist Mariana Velasquez at an event where she was speaking about food styling and taste making. While Mariana being a food stylist is a job description that most understand, she’s also a taste maker. She considers style and trends not only with her ideas about food, but also beyond the table, plus she’s incredibly fashionable and stylish, making chic look effortless.

If you said cold cherry soup with shrimp, I might have thought for a minute, unsure of the flavor combination. Trust me, you’ll want to give this a try because it’s incredibly simple to put together and very unexpected. Move over cucumber, white cherry gazpacho with rock shrimp is here to stay. A small serving makes for the perfect interlude during a meal on a warm summer evening.

Tangy White Cherry Gazpacho with
Rock Shrimp and Thai Basil

A long time ago I learned to make a yellow gazpacho recipe from an American chef who was trained in Japan and Hawaii. His food was bright and vibrant and I was in awe of the flavor combinations and aromas he often put together. Since, I have come up with different versions of this chilled soup which has turned into a summer must – often dictated by what is fresh and delicious at the farmers market. ~ Mariana Velasquez

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 2 pints white cherries, pitted
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 scallions sliced
• 1 ¼ pound rock shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 cup purslane leaves
• Salt and pepper
• Thai basil to garnish

Directions

1. Process cherries in the blender, add 1/2 cup very cold water at the time until smooth. Season with 1 tablespoon oil, lemon salt and pepper, taste and chill.
2. Heat remaining tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet. Add scallion and cook until bubbly and golden. Add shrimp and cook until pink. season with salt and pepper and remove from the pan.
3. Keep the pan on the heat and wait a few seconds for it to become very hot. Add purslane and cook until charred. This bitter taste brings balance to the sweet and tangy soup.