Tomato Bisque

Big thanks to Food Network to publishing a tomato soup recipe that satisfies my comfort food craving!  Balanced, good mouth feel, and tangy with a hint of herbs....this recipe will help comfort that tomato soup craving you might have any time of the year.  Check it out!


Tomato Bisque


Ingredients:
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp minced bacon (about 1/2 ounce)
1 small yellow onion, chopped into small dice
1 medium carrot, peeled, and chopped into small dice
2 stalks celery, chopped into small dice
4 cloves garlic, minced
5 Tbsp all purpose gluten free flour (I used Better Batter Flour)
5 C Chicken Broth, homemade or low sodium processed
1 (28 ounce) can whole, peeled tomatoes with liquid, roughly chopped
3 parsley sprigs
3 thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 C heavy cream
1 3/4 tsp kosher salt
freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat the butter in a large soup/stock pot over medium/high heat.  Add the bacon and cook, stirring until crisp and most of the fat has rendered, about 1 minute.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.  Lower the heat to medium and add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally until soft and fragrant, approximately 8 minutes.

Stir in the flour and cook, tossing frequently, for 3 minutes.  Pour in the broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil while whisking constantly.  Toss in the parsley, thyme and bay leaf together into the pot.  Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

When the soup base is cool, remove and discard the herb stems and leaves.  Using a burr mixer, puree until smooth (if you don't have a burr mixer, use a blender and blend in batches).  Using a sieve over a large bowl, strain the tomato puree, and return the strained puree to the pot and reheat over medium heat.

Whisk in the heavy cream and salt into the soup an season with pepper to taste.  Serve, garnishing with crisped bacon immediately.