Tomato Bisque

This recipe for Tomato Bisque is thick, rich, creamy and delicious. I found the recipe online and then, as usual, tweaked it up a bit.

We had our good friends Steve and Deb Vis over for dinner last night and we started with this Bisque, which I served with Cheese and Herb Twists. I will give you that recipe next week. They were the perfect accompaniment for the Tomato Bisque; think toasted Cheese Sandwich and old-fashioned Tomato Soup…on steroids!

You’ll find several recipes for Tomato Soup in my blog, but I especially like this one as it is so rich and satisfying.

The ingredients are simple. Start by slowly cooking onions, carrots and celery in fat. I used 1 Tbsp. turkey fat and 1 Tbsp. butter.

The last time I made this Bisque I used chicken fat. I usually keep fat in my freezer as it provides a depth of flavor that you can’t get using just butter or olive oil, but those alone would work well, too. The veg, known as the “Holy Trinity” or in French, “Mirepoix”, or in Italian “Soffritto” cook very slowly coaxing out their flavors without browning.

After about 20 minutes of slow cooking, add a little garlic and cook for another 10 minutes. Add one 28 oz. can of San Marzano tomatoes and break them apart with a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon. Add some fresh herbs. I used thyme and sage and also added 1 tsp. of dried Italian herbs. Add a couple Tbsp. of tomato paste, which really helps to thicken it up.

Season with salt and pepper and 1 tsp. of honey to cut the acid in the tomatoes. Add 1 cup of chicken stock, cover and cook for 45 minutes to an hour over low heat.

My Honey Bunny was very happy…and this was just the first course!

Remove from the heat and stir in 1/4 cup of heavy cream. When the mixture has cooled, blend thoroughly until the Bisque is very smooth. Check and adjust for seasoning. So easy and so satisfying! You can make this Bisque a day ahead.

Let me know what tweaks you do if you try this recipe!

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Tomato Bisque

Rich, creamy, flavorful and very satisfying.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. Fat-either butter, olive oil, chicken, turkey or duck fat or a combination of fats
• 1 Large Carrot, peeled and diced; about 1 cup
• 1 Medium Onion, peeled and diced; about 1 cup
• 1 Large Celery rib, diced; about 1 cup
• 2 Large Garlic Cloves, peeled and smashed
• 28 oz. Canned tomatoes with their juices I prefer the Cento brand San Marzano's.
• 2 Tbsp. Tomato paste
• 1 tsp. Honey
• 2 tsp. Salt, or to taste
• 1/8 tsp. Freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
• 1 Sprig Fresh Thyme
• 3 Small Sage leaves
• 1 tsp. Italian herbs, dried
• 1/4 cup Heavy Cream

Instructions

• Peel and dice the carrot and onion. Chop the celery. Peel and smash the garlic.
• Heat 2 Tbsp. fat in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat until sizzling.
• Reduce heat. Add salt and pepper to the pan and drop in the onion, carrot and celery. Stir to combine the fat and seasoning with the veg. Cook, uncovered over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes until veg starts to soften, but not brown.
• Add the garlic and cook another 10 minutes.
• Add the canned tomatoes breaking them up with the back of a spoon or rubber spatula.
• Add tomato paste, chicken stock, honey, fresh and dried herbs. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat, cover and cook for another 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Remove from the heat and add 1/4 cup Heavy Cream.
• Allow the mixture to cool and then blend thoroughly until the Bisque is very smooth and creamy. Do not attempt to blend while the mixture is hot. It expands and can easily pop off the top of your blender making a big mess and possibly resulting in burns.
• Check and adjust for seasoning.
• If making ahead, simply bring to a simmer to reheat and serve.