My Grandmother's Tomato Bisque Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between tomato soup and tomato bisque? ›

While both are delicious, they are quite different, especially when it comes to the texture. Tomato bisque is thicker and creamier in texture, and calls for the use of milk and/or cream.

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute. For the best results, never add flour or cornstarch directly to your soup. If you do, it will clump up on top. Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool.

The term 'bisque' tends to be used in a looser and more general sense these days, which can make it a little tricky to define. Broadly speaking, however, it refers to a thick soup, with a base made from blended ingredients, an extremely smooth texture and lots of cream.

Tomato soup is an excellent source of antioxidants, including lycopene, flavonoids, and vitamins C and E, among many others ( 3 , 7 ). Consuming antioxidants has been linked with a lower risk of cancer and inflammation-related diseases, such as obesity and heart disease ( 3 , 8 , 9 ).

Authentic recipes for bisque actually ground the shells of the crustacean into a fine paste, using that to thicken the soup. Nowadays, it is more common to use rice as a thickener.

Tomato – A fresh tomato will help add color and flavor to this soup. Tomato Paste – You will need tomato paste to add flavor, color, richness, and body to the bisque. Garlic – A few cloves go a long way to enhancing this flavor.

It's important to note that cornstarch has twice the thickening power of flour. If you need to substitute cornstarch to thicken liquid in a recipe that calls for ¼ cup (four tablespoons) flour, you only need two tablespoons cornstarch.

This tip comes from food science. Add a small spoonful of sugar to enhance the natural sweetness of the tomatoes. Season with salt in all of the steps (starting with the sauteed onions). This ensures your tomato soup is never bland.

Liquid — Bisque recipes aren't shy about liquids: cream or milk, broth, clam juice white wine, and often a bit of brandy are used to create a complex, fascinating flavor.

Because of this distinction, there are many who argue that tomato bisque is not a true bisque at all because it has no crustacean products mixed in. However, the term has evolved in modern day to include cream based soup such as squash, mushroom, and tomato.

Is tomato soup good for blood pressure? ›

Due to its high potassium content, tomato soup helps maintain healthy blood pressure. Your blood pressure is the force with which your blood presses against your blood vessel walls. You don't want this pressure to be too high or too low.

Some side effects of lycopene overdose can have chronic effects on the body. For example, excessive lycopene due to tomato consumption can cause diarrhoea, nausea, stomach cramps, gas, and even vomiting. So, if you consume many tomato products, try cutting back on them to see if you notice a difference.

I am collaborating with Know Diabetes by Heart a collaboration between the American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association to bring to your recipe ideas. This tomato basil bisque not only is heart healthy but great for people living with diabetes.

Campbell's® Condensed Tomato Bisque is a delicious, indulgent twist on our classic tomato soup crafted with cream and tasty tomato pieces.

So that begs the question, what's the difference between a tomato bisque and cream of tomato soup? After combing through countless recipes I can honestly say there doesn't seem to be much of a difference. They can be seasoned a little differently, but in essence these two soups are the same thing.

A traditional French chef would define a bisque as being a thick, creamy soup made with shellfish and thickened by a paste made from their shells. Julia Child was one chef to popularize lobster bisque in the United States; her recipe uses both the shells of the lobster and rice to thicken the bisque.

A traditional bisque is made with a stock made with shellfish (lobster, crab, crayfish). Modern usage of the word “bisque” is for nearly any pureed, or especially, creamy soup. I'm guessing that restaurants sell more “tomato bisque” than they do “cream of tomato soup”.