Chateau Cook's - How to make the best Cream of Tomato soup EVER!

Trust me, this soup is good! No, actually, not just good it's fabulous! It is all thanks to a secret ingredient, one that is well known to top French chefs and food lovers, adding a depth of flavour that takes your tastebuds to another level. If you like tomato soup, you are going to love this.

Perfect for lunch after a busy morning spent gardening or a walk in the country, it need not take long to prepare, and is tasty and satisfying. A particular favourite with children.

The first job is to make the secret ingredient, and it is super simple. And the best thing is that it needs just two foodstuffs most people will have in their kitchen store cupboard. I first learned about it when I worked in the kitchen at a famous Chateau in France, with a well known former Celebrity Master Chef finalist......

Secret Ingredient - Gastrique

Half a cup / 120 ml of red wine vinegar

1 heaped tablespoon / 20 g of sugar

Place the red wine vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan and heat until the sugar has dissolved, bring to the boil and simmer gently for around 5 to 10 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by about a third, and is the consistency of maple syrup. Any leftover gastrique can be kept in a jar in the fridge and used at a later date to deepen the flavour of tomato-based dishes and sauces.

CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP

Ingredients

1 pint / 500ml of chicken or vegetable stock

1.5 pints / 750ml of tomato passata or sieved tomatoes

1 tablespoon / 15 g of tomato purée

1 teaspoon / 5 g sea salt

Good pinch finely ground white pepper

1 tablespoon / 15 ml of gastrique

2 tablespoons / 30 g of corn starch / cornflour

3 tablespoons / 45 ml of heavy cream / double cream or creme fraiche

Method

In a large saucepan, heat the stock and tomato passata or sieved tomatoes for a couple of minutes until warm. Stir in the tomato paste, and season with the salt and pepper, and then add the gastrique.

In a small bowl, mix the cornflour with some cold water until it is the consistency of milk, pour it into the soup and mix well. Turn up the heat and bring the soup to the boil, stirring all the while. Allow it to boil for a few minutes so that the cornflour cooks and the soup thickens.

Remove from the heat, allowing to cool slightly. Taste the soup and check seasoning, adding more salt and/or pepper, if required.

Finally, stir in the cream or creme fraiche and this tasty treat is ready to eat. Great with rustic bread and lashings of butter.

Serves four.

Enjoy!

Chateau Cook's Tip no. 1 - if you home grow your vegetables and have a glut, you can use fresh tomatoes. Simply fill a large oven dish with tomatoes, sprinkle with a little olive oil and season, then roast in the oven for 45 mins. When they are cooked, pass through a metal sieve to remove skins and seeds and measure the juice to the required quantity in a jug. Tinned tomatoes can also be sieved and used in the same way.

Chateau Cook's Tip no. 2 - For a professional finish swirl some cream on to the surface of the soup in each person's bowl.

Chateau Cook's Tip no. 3 - Also great served with freshly baked herb and cheese scones, I will be posting a recipe for these next, so please check back soon!

Thank you for reading, let me know if you cook this soup.