Recipe: Cream of Tomato Soup with Puff Pastry Crowns (blender)

CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP WITH PUFF PASTRY CROWNS

"Remember grade-school lunchtime, when I would dash from the school bus into my mom's sunny kitchen welcomed by the aroma of tomato soup, which I with crumbled saltines. This tomato soup is as comforting as Mom's, but fresh and elegant wearing a pastry crown instead of saltines."

1 small sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided use
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup water
1/3 cup tomato paste
4 large (2 pounds) ripe tomatoes, peeled and quartered
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups half-and-half or milk
1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Ground white pepper to taste
Puff Pastry Crowns (recipe follows)*

TO MAKE THE SOUP:
Wrap the thyme, bay leaf, and peppercorns in a square of cheesecloth and tie with kitchen twine.* Set aside.

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes.

Whisk together the 1 cup water and tomato paste in a small bowl; add to the soup. Stir in the tomatoes and garlic; immerse the cheesecloth bag in the soup. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat; cover and simmer until the tomatoes are very tender, about 30 minutes.

When the tomatoes are tender, remove the cheesecloth bag from the soup. Puree the soup in a blender.

Place a coarse-meshed sieve over a bowl. Pour the soup into the sieve in several batches, stirring with a wooden spoon. Discard the soup solids. Return the soup to the pan.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, the half-and-half, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir until the butter melts and the soup is heated through. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Top each serving with a baked pastry round.

ADVANCE PREPARATION:
This soup will keep for up to 3 days in a covered container in the refrigerator. The puff pastry is best when baked just before serving.

*VARIATION:
Top the servings with buttered croutons rather than puff pastry crowns.

PUFF PASTRY CROWNS

1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1 frozen puff pastry sheet (8 to 9 ounces), thawed**

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly beat the egg with the water.

Unroll the puff pastry on a lightly floured board. Cut rounds of puff pastry slightly smaller than the soup bowl tops. (You can use the scraps of dough to make designs, such as an arrangement of triangles, atop the pastry) Place the rounds on the prepared baking sheet and lightly brush the tops with the egg mixture.

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the dough is puffed and golden brown. Transfer the rounds to a wire rack; set aside to cool.

**Puff pastry is a French pastry made using a method of rolling and folding that encloses butter in pastry layers. When baked, the moisture in the butter creates steam, causing the thin layers of dough to puff and separate into dozens of flaky layers. You can find premade puff pastry sheets in the frozen section of most supermarkets. Thaw at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before using. Wrap unused sheets in plastic wrap or foil and return to the freezer.

**A bouquet garni is a bunch of herbs either placed in a cheesecloth bag or tied together with kitchen twine. The herbs infuse soups, stews, and broths with their flavors and are then easily removed without leaving a leafy trace.

Makes 4 servings, 1 cup each
Source: A Beautiful Bowl of Soup by Paulette Mitchell and William Meppem