There are different opinions on what makes something a
bisque. Technically, it’s made from some sort of shellfish puree, but modern
usage includes vegetables as well. Above and beyond that, it has to have cream,
and be thickened with rice.
One problem with many of the tomato soups I’ve had, is that
they are either thickened with tons of tomato paste, which is like eating a
bowl of pasta sauce, or they’re thickened with a flour roux or cornstarch slurry,
which leaves them too pasty for me. A little rice thickens the soup just as
well , but also gives it a nice silky texture.
As far as the canned tomatoes go, we’re using the same
argument here we use for tomato sauce. Unless you have some amazingly sweet,
vine-ripened specimens around, that you’ve peeled, seeded, and cooked down to get rid of the excess
moisture, then chances are San Marzano tomatoes will produce a superior
product.
I tried to stress in the video how important it is to adjust
the seasonings to your liking, especially the sweetness. Many of us were raised on Campbell’s tomato soup
(and grilled cheese sandwiches, of course), and because that flavor is so
ingrained in our taste memories, you need to get this at least close for it to work.
Taste, adjust, taste, adjust, and as always, enjoy!
Ingredients for 6 Portions:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
3 cloves garlic
1 quart chicken broth, plus more as needed
1 (28-oz) can crushed San Marzano tomatoes, or about 3 1/2
cups of other crushed tomatoes
1/2 tsp paprika
3 tbsp white long grain rice
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 or 2 tsp sugar, or to taste
1 or 2 tsp sugar, or to taste
salt and pepper to taste
cayenne to taste
basil to garnish
57 comments:
You couldn't be more right about Campbell's Tomato soup and grilled cheese!
Thanks for another great recipe.
recreational skimming, lolz.
do you have children chef john? cause you make the best dad jokes ever. :)
We are getting frost here in Alaska, so it is definitely SOUP time. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I love tomato soup. This one sounds wonderful. Some times receipes get complicated and you think to your self,,Why Bother. This is tomorrows dinner with the grilled cheese.
One of my favorite late night snacks is tomato soup with a grilled cheese made with swiss on dark Jewish rye. I'm definitely going to try this soup recipe with that sandwich.
Bania was a jerk.
Chef john I have a soup related question I work at a small mom and pop restaurant we feature two soups clam chodwer the other being mushroom brie we double boil the clam chowder because it is a roux-based soup the mushroom brie is cornstarch based but as of recently the mushroom Bri has been breaking due to the heat has it been converted to a roux based soup or can corn starch based soup break? Both use milk. Just curious. Love your blog thanks for your time
For a completely different tone when you eat the leftovers the next day garnish with a big blob of sour cream (let the eater stir it in) and a sprinkling of dill.
Looks delicious. I've always thickened with a roux, so can't wait to try this. I've also added vinegar for little extra bite. Is that something you like?
when simmering for 35-45 minutes should there be a lid on it?
No. I'd have shown and mentioned in the video if that was the case.
Yes, I put vinegar sometimes too!
Chad,not sure, but at a certain temp the brie will separate no matter the starch.
I may have to try this....with the San Marzano tomatoes that I grew this year.
I love homemade cream of tomato soup. And it is so easy I have no idea why I never made it until a couple of years ago.
Under the heading of necessity being the mother of invention I had a bumper crop of tomatoes come in just as I had no time to use them all. I wound up making a tomato soup base with the cooked tomatoes blended with the onions and garlic and pushed through a sieve to get out the skins and seeds. The resulting base was very thick and only needed chicken stock, cream, and a bit of heat to finish. I've canned it in 1/2 pint jars. I'd never thought of this before but I'll bet I put up more next year!
Chef your list of ingredients is missing "sugar to taste" for those who cook from a written recipe.
What kind of bread is your grilled cheese made with? Looks yum! Will definitely try the rice for thickening. Thanks.
Thanks! fixed!
You are the Carlton Fisk of your bisque.
Don't use vine ripened tomatoes? Darn... I've got 15 pounds of them I'm trying to use up. This recipe looks delicious, can't wait to try it :-)
"More promiscuous Cousin", "recreational skimming" and "keeping shirts up your jumper" are the very reasons why I love your work, Chef John.
Putting rice in a soup... very interesting as I see the texture you obtained...
Very very good on a students budget
One of my family members has a food allergy to Celery, so I can't use that in this. Would you suggest simply leaving it out or is there some possible substitute?
Made this yesterday and it was amazing. Your recipes are always spot on and full proof chef. Thank you for making me feel like a professional chef.
Just leave it out! There is nothing like it.
Soooo...I must have a lot of time on my hands I guess bc I just so happen to have tomatoes that were fresh, that I peeled, seeded, and reduced down.
I only have brown rice on hand. Can I use brown rice or wild rice in this recipe?
I only have brown rice on hand, can I use brown rice or wild rice for this recipe?
it would thicken, but wouldn't recommend. You don't want that earthy flavor.
Thank you for another one of your great recipes...turned family fav in my house.
Hi, chef John!
I just can't wrap my head around what "a quart chicken broth plus more as needed" means. What exactly is more as needed?
Oops, sorry if that last comment slipped through. I'm from Europe, so I falsely interpreted "1 quart" as one quarter of a cup, instead of four cups!Now the recipe makes a lot more sense to me XD
I love this guy! I could listen to him forever. <3 Thank you for this recipe and for making cooking look easy and super fun.
Just finished making this for dinner, with grilled cheese of course. It was delicious! I added a little chopped spinach to mine as well. Thanks for the amazing recipe!
Absolutely fantastic tomato bisque. I love tomato soup and this is by far the best recipe I have come across. I added basil directly into the pot to make tomato basil bisque and turned out wonderful. Kudos Chef!
Im Making this for the second time now here in Africa, and its summer time. Thats how good this is. Thanks Chef
John - wow. I just made this tomato bisque for a party. My friends said I should become a caterer. Outstanding tutorial!
You're always entertaining and jam-packed with good information. I've learned so much from you.
Your videos have soul. You're a character. Don't lose that.
It's clear you know your stuff and you genuinely have a fun time doing so. My wife (and friends) thank you! Best cooking videos on the internet - hands down!
Have you ever thought of being a guest on a radio or TV show?
HI I've got a question, I don't have a blender to blend the soup, what else can i use?
Angelica, you have to use a blender to get the creamy soup at the end, but the flavor would be the same. You could just cook it longer to make sure everything is as soft as possible.
I found a cheap immersion blender at the grocery store for under $10. Worked fine.
Loved your video! I never would have believed that a few tablespoons of rice would thicken tomato soup! I can't wait to try this. Would it make a big difference if I substituted Half and Half for the Heavy Cream?
What kind of dish could you see smoked paprika NOT being better than regular?
I just made this and used half a 13-oz can of coconut milk - it was great, if anything richer than cream.
If I want to quadruple the amount of bisque does it still have to simmer for 45 minutes or should it simmer for a longer time?
A triumph. I added the fancy elements of your lobster bisque (without the lobster): thyme, tomato paste, finishing it off with brandy and worcestershire sauce. Last night, we shredded some pan-fried scallops on top of the soup and had a side of grilled ciabatta. Today for lunch, I had a big bowl and a warm croissant filled with melted goal cheese and marinated artichoke hearts. Love this recipe.
What a cheap and cheerful recipe! Chef John is right, adding rice to the soup does make it oh so creamy!
Was easy to make and most every was in panty. It is a keeper and will make agian
Just perfect but instead to toasted chesse i use gorgonzola.:)
Sounds good if I could print it but I can't. It doesn't even have the instructions.
As usual, another winner from Chef John. Made it without changes.
Which immersion blender do you use? I have a 2 speed KitchenAid. Mine definitely did not come out velvety. I'm tempted to blame the tool but it was probably just that I was too hungry when I made it. Tasted good but just could not get it to have that texture you had. I also tried using diced tomatoes instead of crushed (I figured I would be blending everything anyway) is that another way I could have messed it up?
I was dead set on making this soup, and thought I had all the ingredients. Unfortunately I was missing the cream. A quick search on a cream substitute led me to a science experiment gone horribly wrong. I ended up putting 1/2 cup of sour cream in the bisque ( is it no longer a bisque??) and used the immersion blender on high for 3-5 minutes The taste was great and the texture was very silky. My wife was very happy!
I'm making this for a friend who I see on a dairy free diet. What can I replace the heavy cream with?
Chef John, can I use pressure cooker to make this recipe? Please advise.
My grandmother had a very similar recipe that callled for carrots as the sweetener.
Chef John you are amazing! My husband and I have made so many of your recipes and all of them have been amazing. This is the first tomatoe based soup I’ve actually liked. It’s so worth the little bit of effort this takes to make, I have never tasted a better tomatoe soup (bisque in this case). The rice produced a very creamy and thickened bisque...I was shocked. You’re truly a gem.
I love tomatoes, but hate tomatoe soup. However, this was absolutely delicious! I now crave this quite often and can’t believe how easy it is to make. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Chef John! Long time watcher and cooker, first time comment poster. Would you recommend cooking the rice before adding or adding raw rice? Or would either option work indiscernibly well?
Sir I thank you for this bisque, my wife is succumbing to cancer and eating is not one of her favorite things to do. She said she could eat a grilled cheese samich and tomato soup. I was going through youtube at that time, and this video popped up, so I made it for her. I thought it was pretty good and took her samich and soup in to her, her only comment was maybe you better watch how to make grilled cheese as good as this soup. Thanks again
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