Crème de Tomates en Croûte

Cream of Tomato Soup in Puff Pastry

Crème de Tomates en Croûte
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Cream of Tomato Soup in Puff Pastry

Crème de Tomates en Croûte is a jaunty soup inspired by Bistro Jeanty, a charming French restaurant in Yountville, CA. Warm spices and smoky chiles elevate my humble tomato soup recipe. Crowned with a golden dome of  buttery-flaky puff pastry…this is an elegant, yet easy first course for a dinner party or perhaps even Valentine’s Day?

Recette de Crème de Tomates en Croûte

Cream of Tomato Soup with Chipotle, Cinnamon and Cloves

Cream of Tomato Soup with Chipotle, Cinnamon, and Clove

Ingredients:

  • Rao’s Tomato Basil Soup 16 oz. jar
  • 1/4 t. ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 t. ground cloves
  • 2 t. chipotle adobo sauce (or to taste)
  • 1 t. brown sugar
  • fresh ground black pepper
  • 1/2 c. cream
  • salt to taste

Method:

Heat Rao’s tomato soup in a medium sauce pan. Add cinnamon, cloves, chipotle adobo, brown sugar, and a few grinds of pepper. Stir to combine. Simmer for a few minutes.

Remove soup from heat and add cold cream. Stir to combine. Add salt to taste. Let soup sit off heat while preparing the pastry.

Crème de Tomates en Croûte

Puff Pastry Dome

Ingredients:

  • 1 sheet all-butter puff pastry, defrosted in refrigerator
  • egg wash (one large egg beaten with 2 T. water)

Method:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Lay cold dough on a flat work surface. Take oven-proof soup bowl and invert it onto the dough to cut out two disks. Use a knife to trace around the soup bowl rim.

Place 2 soup bowls on a rimmed baking sheet. Ladle soup into two bowls. They should be about 3/4 full.

Brush egg wash around the rims of soup bowls. Roll out or stretch the 2 pastry disks to fit over the 2 soup bowls to cover like a drum. Press the pastry dough down the sides of the bowls to seal. Brush dough with egg wash.

Bake until the dough is puffed and browned. It will take about 12 to 18 minutes to cook, depending on the bowls and the oven. Just keep an eye on it after 12 minutes.

Notes:

This is not Bistro Jeanty’s recipe, I was simply inspired by the Chef Phillipe Jeanty’s creation and the images on their website.

You can make tomato soup from scratch, but Rao’s jarred soup is really delicious, and using it saves many steps. I especially recommend it in winter when fresh tomatoes are not at their peak.

High-quality all-butter puff pastry is essential. Don’t bother making Crème de Tomates en Croûte with those grocery store brands made with vegetable oils (palm, soybean, hydrogenated cottonseed). They are awful compared to all-butter puff pastry.

The lukewarm soup will get plenty hot in the oven at 400° while the pastry bakes. So that is the reason for letting it cool off while preparing the pastry.

We paired this course with Emmolo Napa Valley Merlot 2019, a wine with dark berry flavors and smooth, leathery tannins. The winemaker notes that the 2019 vintage has earthy notes of tree bark with a homey hint of sweet dough and cinnamon.  A perfect complement to this Crème de Tomates en Croûte…

cream of tomato soup

Lion Head Soup Bowls

Classic French Lion’s Head Soup Bowls reflect a design that has graced tables for centuries. They are perfect for this pastry-sealed soup. Because they’re crafted from high-fired porcelain, they are oven-proof and hold heat exceptionally well, keeping soup at the proper temperature.

Lion Habitat Ranch
Swifty
Lion Habitat Ranch

Speaking of lion’s heads, we recently visited the Lion Habitat Ranch – Non-Profit Sanctuary in Las Vegas where they protect and provide a loving home for all lions in their care for the rest of their natural lives.

There are about 2 dozen lions living here. The annual cost to feed one lion is about $10,000 so the general admission price helps fund this non-profit project. The ranch is very clean and the animals are obviously loved and well-cared for.

The trainers are extremely knowledgeable and more than happy to share lots of information about each lion’s history and personality. Unlike a zoo, one can get very close to these majestic animals, and even feed them!

Visit the Lion Habitat Ranch on your next trip to Vegas, it is an awesome experience and a great way to support the sanctuary.

Click here to see a 15 second video of Winston at the Lion Habitat Ranch

Pictured above is Swifty born 8/23/2006.

The video is of Winston born 4/1/2015.

As I always say, there are tons of fun things to do in Vegas in addition to great food, drink, and gaming!

One thought on “Crème de Tomates en Croûte”

  1. I had the pleasure of partaking in Chef Jeanty’s tomato soup when he was executive chef at Domain Chandon (right across highway 29 where his own restaurant presently exists). It was memorable! I am excited to try your version. And btw, this soup pairs well with a quality sparkling wine or champagne, as well! Of course, most food goes well with a good champagne!

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