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Tomato-Basil Bisque En Croute (pareve or meat)

Contributed by Eileen Goltz.

Frozen puff pastry (each sheet yields 2 to 3 servings)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small white or yellow onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
4 large garlic cloves, smashed
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes or 1 (102 ounce / No. 10) can
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
Salt and pepper
1 cup heavy cream
Egg wash, as needed

Instructions:

Thaw pastry and cut into circles large enough to completely cover the top of 6-inch individual heatproof soup bowls. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

In stockpot, heat oil until hot, but not smoking. Add onion, carrot, and celery; saute’ just until onion begins to color. Add garlic and pepper flakes and cook 1 minute more. Stir in tomatoes and stock. Return to boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 20 minutes. Add basil and process in small batches in blender until very smooth. Stir in cream. Adjust seasonings.

To serve, moisten outer edges of soup bowls with water. Ladle warm soup into bowl. Place pastry on top, gently stretching for tight fit over entire bowl, sealing to edge. Brush with egg wash. Bake at 500º F in convection oven until golden brown and puffed high, about 6 to 8 minutes. Serve hot.

Special InstructionsFresh Herbs and Insect Infestation:

Fresh basil and other herbs (including thyme, basil, dill, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary and sage) are often used as spices or garnishing. Aphids, thrips and other insects may often be found on the leaves and stems of these herbs. Insects tend to nestle in the crevices between the leaves and branches of herbs. These insects can curl up and stick to the leaf once they come in contact with water.

Inspection:
Recommendation: In order to determine if a particular bunch of herbs is infested prior to washing, bang it several times over a white cloth. This is most important when checking oregano, rosemary, sage and thyme. If only one or two insects are found, proceed with the steps below. If three or more insects are detected in a particular bunch of herbs, it should not be used.

Inspection:
1. Soak herbs in a solution of cold water and vegetable wash. The proper amount of vegetable wash has been added when some bubbles are observed in the water. (In the absence of vegetable wash, several drops of concentrated non-scented liquid detergent may be used. However, for health reasons, thoroughly rinse off the soapy solution.)
2. Agitate the herbs in the soapy water, in order to loosen the sticking excretion of the bugs.
3. Using a heavy stream of water, thoroughly wash off the soap and other foreign matter from the herbs.
4. Check both sides of each leaf under direct light.
5. If one or two insects are found, rewash the herbs.
6. If any insects are found after repeating the agitation process twice, the entire bunch must be discarded.
>Notes: Great soup to serve by itself or with pastry cover for a wonderful surprise. Simplified for the home cook from a recipe by Chef Philippe Jeanty of Bistro Jeanty, Yountville, California. Fresh basil tends to be infested with aphids, thrips and other insects. Please check "Special Instructions" below for instructions on insect inspection.