Sometimes a simple homemade soup speaks volumes. I made this one recently for a birthday luncheon for some friends. It was pretty (with its bold, bright colors) and went perfectly with paninis. The soup may sound fancy but it’s really pretty basic…just tomato soup drizzled with a basil sauce. Coulis (pronounced “coo-LEE”) is a sauce made from fruits or vegetables, and in this case basil. Both the soup and coulis are easy to make and great for entertaining because you can make them a day before serving. If you don’t have a squeeze bottle (available at cookware stores), just drizzle the coulis onto the soup with a spoon. 

Creamy Tomato Soup with Basil Coulis
by Fine Cooking magazine

Serves six. Yields about 6-1/2 cups.

For the basil coulis:
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1 clove garlic, crushed and peeled; more to taste
Sea salt or kosher salt
1/4 cup fruity extra-virgin olive oil, plus 2 Tbs. more if needed

For the soup:
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
One-half red bell pepper, finely chopped
3 cups lower-salt chicken broth
28-oz. can whole peeled plum tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped (reserve the juice)
1 large sprig fresh thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Make the coulis: Have ready a medium bowl of ice water. In a small saucepan, bring 1 quart of water to a boil. Add the basil and blanch for 30 seconds. Remove from the water with a strainer or slotted spoon and plunge into the ice water.

Once it’s cool, squeeze the basil with your hands to remove excess water. Put the basil in a blender or food processor and add the crushed garlic and a pinch of salt. With the machine running, slowly add 1/4 cup of the oil. If the mixture clings to the side of the container, add the remaining 2 Tbs. oil. Purée until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Transfer the coulis to a squeeze bottle or a jar.

Make the soup: In a nonreactive 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion, celery, and red pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are quite soft, about 10 minutes. Add the broth, tomatoes, thyme, 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper, and 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 40 minutes.

Discard the thyme sprig. Let cool briefly and then purée the soup in two or three batches in a blender or food processor (see tip below). Rinse the pot and return the soup to the pot. If it is too thick, add some of the reserved tomato juice. Reheat if necessary and season to taste with salt and pepper. Top each serving with a little coulis.

To Make Ahead: The coulis can be made 2 or 3 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Allow the coulis to come to room temperature before using. This soup stores beautifully and tastes better the second day. You can keep it in the refrigerator as long as you bring it to a boil every two days. Or you can stash it in the freezer for up to three months.

Tip on puréeing hot soup: Be sure to purée in small batches and crack the blender lid slightly (or remove the center cap from the lid). Steam can build up once you start blending, and if the lid is on tight or the blender is overfilled, it will spray hot soup all over you and your kitchen. For protection, cover the top with a dishtowel while puréeing.

Tags: basil, Quick Cooking, Soup/Stew, tomato

Soup really is good food just like the Campbell’s jingle says. Yes, soup out of a can is fine sometimes but who needs a canned soup when we’ve got really easy recipes like this Tomato Bisque. It’s quick and taste soooo much better! I was looking for a tomato soup that didn’t require fresh tomatoes for two reasons: 1) because most grocery store tomatoes are just down right sad and tasteless, and 2) because canned tomatoes speed up the preparation process. I decided to try this recipe because it had the added bonus of the cheese toasts. Cheese & toast? Sign me up!

This recipe took very little prep…just dicing an onion, mincing some garlic and opening a can each of crushed tomatoes and chicken broth. Okay, so I also had to walk out to my garden to get a few sprigs of fresh thyme but I don’t really count that as work since it was a beautiful Autumn day and I was happy to get a little fresh air. I was skeptical about the use of honey in the soup so I started out with just about a tablespoon. I mixed it in then added another tablespoon; mixed it in then added the last tablespoon. I wasn’t using measuring spoons…just squeezing the bottle and approximating tablespoons. The point is to start out with a little and add until you’re happy with the taste. I thought the honey softened the acidity of the tomatoes. This is an easy soup to double or triple, and you can make it vegetarian by substituting vegetable broth for the chicken broth.

Now on to the cheese toasts. One word…YUMM! For the bread I chose a freshly-baked sourdough baguette that I cut into diagonal slices. The slight amount of tangy Dijon mustard on the toasted bread mixed with the sharpness of the cheeses was delicious! I had to make myself stop eating them and share some with Husband (he loved them, too). This recipe for tomato soup and cheese toasts only serves two but it could easily be doubled or tripled to make a larger quantity.

Tomato Bisque & Cheese Toasts
Recipe courtesy Abigail Johnson Dodge – Fine Cooking magazine
Serves two.

For the bisque:
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 hearty sprigs fresh thyme
1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes in purée
1-1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
3 Tbs. honey
1-1/2 tsp. coarse salt; more to taste
1/4 tsp. finely ground black pepper; more to taste
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)

For the toasts:
4 slices country bread, about 1/2 inch thick
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
4 to 6 slices Gruyère
1 Tbs. grated Parmesan

In a medium pot, heat the oil. Add the onion and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until tender and lightly browned on the edges, about 7 min. Add the garlic and thyme; stir until fragrant, about 1 min. Add the tomatoes, broth, honey, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until reduced by a quarter and thickened, about 15 min. Using a stand or immersion blender, purée about half the soup; it will be still be chunky and thick. Return it to the pot and stir in the cream. Heat gently and adjust the seasonings. Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with the parsley if using, and serve immediately.

Arrange an oven rack to the highest rung and heat the broiler on high. Line a baking sheet with foil. Put the bread on the foil and toast each side until golden brown. Spread the mustard evenly on one side of each toast, cover with the Gruyère, and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Slide the toasts back under the broiler and cook until bubbling and lightly browned on top, about 2 min. Cut each toast in half and serve immediately with the soup.

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Tags: cheese toast, Soup/Stew, tomato