Tomato Bisque Soup

A perfect tomato bisque taken from http://littlefrenchbakery.com/blog/tomato-bisque-soup-a-la-sous-vide

This won first place in a soup contest at Nelnet.

• 1 stick of butter, plus 2 T
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 quart milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 cans (large) diced or whole peeled tomatoes (diced and crushed if whole)
• 1-2 fresh chopped tomatoes
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons dried Basil leaves
• dash of cayenne pepper and/or tabasco to taste
• 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper (to taste)

In a large saucepan, melt the  stick of butter.  Add the flour and stir quickly to creat a roux.  Cook for a minute two, then stirring/whisking constantly, add the milk.   Continue stirring over medium heat until the mixture starts to thicken.  Then add the cream.  Continue stirring/cooking until the mixture thickens.  Do not heat to a boil.  Remove from the heat.

In another stock pot or large saucepan, melt the remaining 2 T of butter.   Saute and onions, green pepper and garlic until the onions are translucent.  Add the tomatoes and basil and bring to a simmer for 30 minutes.  If you like the texture a more uniform, use an immersion blender to further chop the cooked tomato pieces.  Be sure to reduce the heat to barely a simmer, then add the white sauce.   Add the cayenne and/or tabasco and adjust seasonings.    Hold under a boil to prevent separation.

At this point, if you have a sous vide system, preheat the water to 172-175 degrees F, and place the bags in the water after removing the air.  Hold until ready to serve.  When ready  to store, prepare an ice water bath and emmerse the bag in the ice water for at least 45 minutes.  Add ice as needed to keep the water very cold.

Serves about 6.