INTRO:
My mother has made grilled cheese and tomato soup for me before, but never this fancy! I am really excited to see if this homemade tomato soup can compete with our "Family recipe" (aka Campbells Tomato Soup)!
For this class I am really hoping to continue to get better with my dices and certain cuts. I feel as if I forget time to time and get lazy. I am also really excited for the amount of steps there are to this soup. I love having a lot to do for a dish. In my opinion it makes the final result taste much for satisfactory!
RESEARCH:
Stocks can be either white or brown. Chicken stock being a rather popular white stock. However, there are many defining characteristics of a white stock that sets itself apart from the brown stock. White stock uses any combination of beef, veal, or chicken bones, while a brown stock uses any combination of chicken, veal, beef, or game bones. The biggest difference between the two is none other than the color.
Brown stock gets its dark color by caramelizing the bones and mirepoix in the pot before being simmered, which is one of the scientific principles behind cooking stock. Caramelizing the bones allows the sugars found on the surface to brown and give the brown stock more flavor. On the other hand, white stock uses bones that are sometimes blanched first and then simmered so there is no browning like the brown stock has.
Background Information:
Like last week, I do not have much expertise on these recipes. Like my mother has taught me, we can find cans of condensed soup on the store shelves, which were created by reducing half the water in the soup to make a thicker consistency. When tomatoes were first used in soups, they were mainly just thrown into a big pot with a mix of other vegetables to make vegetable soup. It wasn't until the 1830s when tomato became the star ingredient in a soup recipe.
Variations of the classic tomato soup can be made by adding in additional ingredients. For example, feta cheese, heavy cream, basil, thyme, or peppers can add something extra. In our lab, we'll be making fresh croutons to add on top of the soup for a bit of crunch.
White Stock
serving size: 21 servings
Ingredients
15 lb. bones, veal, chicken or beef, rinsed and cut into 3 to 4 in. pieces
3 gal. cold water
16 oz onion
8 oz celery
8 oz carrot
Bouquet Garni:
2 ea bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp peppercorns, crushed
8 ea parsley stems
1 oz leek skin
1/4 ea celery stalk
Directions:
Place the bones in a stockpot and cover with cold water.
If blanching, bring the water to a boil, skimming off the scum that rises to the surface. Drain off the water and the impurities. Then add the 3 gallons cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. If not blanching the bones, bring the cold water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and skim the scum that forms.
Add the mirepoix and bouquet garni to the simmering stock.
Continue simmering and skimming the stock for 6–8 hours. (If only chicken bones are used, simmer for 3–4 hours.)
Strain, cool and refrigerate.
Brown Stock
serving size: 21 servings
Ingredients
15 lb. bones, veal or beef, cut into 3- to 4-in. pieces
3 gal. cold water
16 oz onion
8 oz celery
8 oz carrot
8 oz tomato paste
Bouquet Garni:
2 ea bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp peppercorns, crushed
3 ea garlic cloves, crushed
12 ea parsley stems
1 oz leek skin
1/4 ea celery stalk
Directions:
Place the bones in a roasting pan, one layer deep, and caramelize them in a 375°F (190°C) oven. Turn the bones occasionally to brown them evenly.
Remove the bones and place them in a stockpot. Pour off the fat from the roasting pan and reserve it.
Deglaze the roasting pan with part of the cold water.
Add the deglazing liquor and the rest of the cold water to the bones, covering them completely. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
Add a portion of the reserved fat to the roasting pan and sauté the mirepoix until evenly caramelized. Add the tomato paste and continue cooking until the tomato paste and mirepoix are a deep brown color. Add the mixture to the simmering stock.
Add the bouquet garni to the stock and continue to simmer for 6–8 hours, skimming as necessary.
Strain, cool and refrigerate.
Cream of Tomato Soup with Croutons
serving size: 2 servings
Ingredients
For the soup:
1 oz onion
1/2 oz carrot
1/2 oz celery
1/8 fl. oz olive oil
1/8 pt. vegetable stock
1/8 oz whole butter
1/4 pt. water
12 oz canned tomatoes, crushed
1/4 tbsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
Bouquet Garni:
1/8 oz parsley stems
1/4 ea bay leaf
1/2 sprig fresh thyme
1 oz leek skin
1/4 ea celery stalk
1/8 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/8 fl. oz heavy cream, scalded
heavy cream, as needed for garnish
red and green bell peppers, diced, as needed for garnish
fresh basil, as needed for garnish
For the croutons:
vegetable oil
white bread (crusts removed)
salt
pepper
Directions:
For the soup:
Sweat the mirepoix in the oil and butter in a heavy saucepan without caramelizing.
Deglaze the pan with the vegetable stock. Add the water, crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper and bouquet garni. Bring to a boil, reduce to a low simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and thyme. Continue simmering for 15 minutes.
Remove the bouquet garni and purée the soup with an immersion blender until smooth. Strain the scalded cream through a china cap and add it to the soup. Simmer for 5 minutes; adjust the seasonings.
Garnish each bowl with a swirl of heavy cream, the diced peppers and basil. Serve with fresh croutons.
For the croutons:
Cut the bread into cubes.
Sauté bread cubes in the oil in a pan on medium-high heat until golden brown.
Remove and place on a paper towel to soak the grease.
Season with salt and pepper.
Plan of Work:
Reflection:
Like you would expect, the techniques we were taught prior to the class really showed. The texture of the tomato was spot on in consistency both in thickness ad silkiness. The element of umami rally shined in this dish from the addition of the Worcestershire sauce. I never would have thought croutons would have been a good add in, but it sure made a difference in the presentation as well as the flavor overall!
Left: When the cream was added to the soup.
This dish looked absolutely beautiful!
Below: Croutons ready to add!
FOOD COST
*Food Cost for White Stock, Brown Stock, and Soup!
RESULTS
100% a success! The dish turned out very nicely, and it was very benificial that we had already learned most of the processes that were used to create the dish. The most crucial being skimming the fats off the tops of the stocks and cooling the stock in an ice bath after it has finished cooking.
Below is a great picture of the cooling of the finished stock!
Below is a picture of fat and scum rising to the top waiting to be skimmed off.
CONCLUSION:
After each prepared dish, I continue to find things I can strive to get better at. Originally my primary goal was to get better at dicing, but the more we dug deeper into the stocks and soup themselves, I found myself really intrigued with the methods of preparation for them. The steps may get a little crazy at times, but there is always a method to the madness! I am really looking forward to actually going into class for our next lab and getting to learn hands on!
WORKS CITED:
History of tomato soup in America. https://www.world-foodhistory.com/2012/01/history-of-tomato-soup-in-america.html.
Labensky, S. R., Hause, A. M., & Martel, P. (2019). On cooking: a textbook of culinary fundamentals. Pearson.
Siem, B., & Freelancer. (2018, April 3). How to Pair Flavors Together. https://www.tastingtable.com/cook/national/best-food-pairings-flavors.
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