White Gazpacho - {Ajo Blanco}

Recipe Instructions * Use a light, fruity olive oil, preferably Andalusian. Andalusian olive oil is available online from tienda.com or spanishtable.com. Do not use a peppery oil, such as Tuscan. Remove the crusts from the bread slices and tear two of the slices into bits. Soak in one-half cup of ice water for 5 to 10 minutes, then drain in a small sieve, pressing to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Crumble into a blender. Add the garlic, almonds, salt and one-half cup or more of the water to the blender, and blend to form a paste. With the blender running at the highest speed, drizzle one-third cup of the olive oil through the feed tube to emulsify. Scrape the mixture into a mixing bowl. Whisk in the vinegar and the remaining 1 cup of water. The consistency should be that of very thick cream or very thin mayonnaise. Add a little more vinegar and/or salt to taste, if desired. Chill the soup for at least 2 hours so the flavors develop. For the garnish, cut the remaining slice of bread into quarter-inch cubes. Heat the remaining olive oil in a skillet, and cook the bread cubes to form golden brown croutons. Drain on paper towels and set aside. Place the soup in a glass pitcher. Pile a small heap of the lettuce in the middle of a soup plate and top with flower petals, 2 fig quarters and some croutons. To serve, bring the pitcher to the table and pour the soup around the lettuce and figs in each bowl. This recipe yields 6 servings. Each serving: 373 calories; 7 grams protein; 23 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams fiber; 30 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 329 mg. sodium.