YELLOW TOMATO SOUP WITH COUSCOUS GALETTE, CORN GELÉE, PINE NUT PURÉE, PICKLED CUCUMBER AND CHANTERELLE MUSHROOMS WITH CRISPY TOMATO SKIN

INGREDIENTS (serves 4 pax)

For the soup: 
2 yellow tomatoes (peeled, seeded and chopped)
4 cloves roasted garlic
2 cups water
1 ½ tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the corn gelée: 
4 cobs corn (husks removed)
2 quarts water
4 sheets gelatine
For the couscous galette: 
1 ½ cups couscous (cooked and hot)
2 tbsp chopped herbs (tarragon, chives, basil)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
For the pine nut purée: 
½ cup pine nuts (soaked for 4h. in 1 ½  cups of water)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the pickled cucumber and chantarelle mushrooms:
1 2-inch piece English cucumber (cut into quarters lengthwide and sliced ¼-inch thick)
½ cup chantarelle mushrooms (cleaned and cut into small pieces)
1 cup pickling juice
For the crispy tomato skin: 
Skin peeled from 2 yellow tomatoes
Skin peeled from 2 red tomatoes
1 teaspoon olive oil Ç
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For garnish: 
4 teaspoon micro herbs (micro basil or parsley)

PREPARATION

Soup
Place the olive oil and tomatoes in a sauté pan and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes while occasionally stirring. Add the roasted garlic and water and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Purée the mixture in the blender and season to taste with salt and pepper. Reheat if necessary.

Corn gelée
Cut the kernels away from the cobs reserving both and place them in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring the mixture to a simmer for 15 minutes; remove, reserve ½ cup of the corn kernels and continue to simmer the corn stock for 30 minutes. Strain the corn stock over medium heat, until reduced to about 2 cups, and remove from heat. Bloom the gelatine in tepid water, remove it from the water and add to the reserved corn stock. Stir until combined and add the reserved corn kernels. Line a 5-inch square dish with straight sides with plastic wrap and pour the corn gelée mixture into the dish. Refrigerate over night or until firm. Cut the corn gelée into ½-inch cubes just prior to serving.

Couscous galette
Fold the herbs into the hot couscous and season to taste with salt and pepper. Lightly oil the insides of 4 3-inch round by ¾-inch high bottomless ring molds, press the couscous firmly into each ring mold and refrigerate for 1 hour. Place the olive oil in a preheated nonstick sauté pan and place the ring molds directly into the pan. Sauté the couscous for 3 minutes or until it is golden brown on the bottom side. Carefully flip over the ring molds and continue to cook for 3 more minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the pan and allow to cool briefly. Very carefully remove the rings molds from the couscous.

Pine nut purée
Purée the pine nuts with just enough of the soaking water to create a thick and smooth purée. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pickled cucumber and chantarelle mushrooms
Place the cucumber and chantarelle mushrooms pieces in the pickling juice and refrigerate for 2 hours. Drain the cucumber pieces from the liquid before serving.

Crispy tomato skin
Toss the tomato skin pieces with the olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Lay the skin pieces flat on a dehydrator shelf and place in the dehydrator at 110ºC. Dehydrate for 10 hours or until the skins are translucent and crispy. Remove from the dehydrator just prior to use. 

TO SERVE

Place a couscous galette in the center of 4 shallow bowls. Ladle in some of the soup and arrange some of the pickled cucumber, pickled mushroom pieces and corn gelée around the galette. Arrange a few pieces of the crispy tomato skin over the galette. Drizzle the pine nut purée around the soup and sprinkle with micro herbs.