in the kitchen: tomato bisque + grilled cheese crostini
While on a quest for a tomato bisque recipe that didn’t call for a boatload of heavy cream, we tagged two favorites: a Food Network Kitchens recipe (which sounded delicious but included a whole cup of heavy cream), and a version from Gina’s Skinny Recipes that substituted reduced-fat sour cream.
A combination of Food Network’s and Gina’s recipes, plus our own modifications and adds, yielded an amazingly creamy and flavorful soup. We didn’t miss that heavy cream one bit, and the soup was just as velvety and satisfying as its higher-calorie cousin. For a lighter twist on the classic tomato soup and grilled cheese combo, we whipped up some gruyere-and-prosciutto crostini that made for perfect soup dippers.
This recipe could easily be made vegetarian by omitting the bacon and prosciutto and substituting vegetable stock for the chicken stock. For a vegan version, omit the sour cream, replace the butter with olive oil, and make the crostini simply with olive oil and garlic powder.
Tomato Bisque & Grilled Cheese Crostini
Serves 4
tomato bisque
adapted from Food Network Kitchens and Gina’s Skinny Recipes
2 slices bacon (we love thick-sliced applewood smoked bacon)
2 tbs butter
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
5 tbs all-purpose flour or Wondra flour
5 c chicken stock
1 28-ounce can peeled San Marzano tomatoes
3 parsley sprigs
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
dash ground cumin
2 tbs reduced fat sour cream, plus more for serving
fresh basil leaves, chopped or chiffonade
salt and pepper
1. Cook the bacon in a large saucepan or soup pot over medium-high heat, until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel. When fully drained, crumble or chop the bacon, and set aside.
2. Lower the heat to medium. Add the butter, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes.
3. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Pour in the broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Use the whisk to break up the tomatoes into smaller chunks.
4. Stir in the cayenne, onion powder and cumin. Tie the parsley, thyme, and bay leaf together with a piece of kitchen twine and add to the pot. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Remove the soup from the heat and discard the herb bundle. Transfer the soup mixture to a blender and puree until smooth (you’ll need to do this in about 2 batches). Strain the soup with a sieve over a large bowl — this really helps produce a smooth, velvety texture. Return to pot and reheat over medium heat.
6. Temper the sour cream by mixing it with a couple of spoonfuls of warm soup and stirring. When well-combined, whisk the sour cream into the pot.
7. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into soup bowls and top each with crumbled bacon, basil and a small dollop of sour cream. Serve with grilled cheese crostini.
grilled cheese crostini
1 6″ baguette
about 2 oz gruyere cheese, grated
2 very thin slices prosciutto (we like San Daniele or prosciutto di Parma)
garlic powder
olive oil
1. Chop the prosciutto and crisp in a frying pan over medium heat, for about 3 minutes or until slightly crispy. Set aside.
2. Slice baguette on an angle to yield about 8 long, thin slices. Brush both sides lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder. Place under a broiler on low until just slightly toasted; turn pieces over to lightly toast the other side.
3. Top each baguette slice with prosciutto and grated gruyere. Just before serving, place under a low broiler until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve alongside tomato bisque.
