Tomato Bisque
Time & Yield
Time: 2 Hours 30 Minutes
Yield: 8-10 Servings
Ingredients
4 ounces unsalted butter (1 stick; 114g)
4 large carrots (1 pound; 455g), diced
2 medium yellow onions (1 pound; 455g), diced
Sugar (1 tsp)
3 large (28oz/795g) cans whole tomatoes, crushed roughly
4 cups (950ml) chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
8oz heavy cream (1 cup; 225g)
1 1/4 tsp (5g) kosher salt
1/8 tsp ground cayenne, or more to taste
1 loosely packed cup fresh basil
Recipe
In a large pot, melt butter (1 stick, 4oz) over medium heat until foaming, then add diced carrots (4 large carrots; 1 pound; 455g), diced onions (2 medium yellow onions; 1 pound; 455g), and sugar (1 tsp). Cook, stirring occasionally, until butter starts to brown on the bottom and onions have gone past transparent and started to caramelize, about 15 minutes.
Add crushed tomatoes (3 large cans; 28oz; 795g), followed by chicken stock (4 cups; 950ml). Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until quite thick, about 1 1/2 hours; adjust heat as needed to maintain a gentle simmer. Add additional liquid (water or more stock) if soup over reduces.
Taste the soup; if its flavor is too sharp or acidic, add 1/4 tsp of baking soda and stir well (it may foam at first). Taste and repeat as needed.
Purée soup with in a blender or with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in cream (8oz; 1 cup; 225g), then season with salt (1 1/4 tsp; 5g) and cayenne (1/8 tsp) to taste. Rewarm to serve. Top with basil just before serving.
Notes
This was delicious but very acidic, adding additional cream or baking soda is a must to cut the acid. Also we recommend serving with bread or mini grilled cheese bites to dip
Be careful not to over-reduce, there is a fine line between this being a soup and just a bowl of tomato sauce
Small portions will do fine - this should not be a whole dinner course
Though the definition of a bisque originally comes from broth made from seafood and crustaceans, we’ll take liberties with the name as it surely elevates the dish
Source: Serious Eats