Creamless Creamy Tomato Soup

Name: Creamless Creamy Tomato Soup
Yield: Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients: 1/4 cup, extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling; 1 medium, onion, chopped medium (about 1 cup); 3 medium, garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon); pinch, hot red pepper flakes (optional); 1 , bay leaf; 2 (28-ounce) cans, whole tomatoes packed in juice; 1 tablespoon, brown sugar; 3 large slices, good-quality sandwich bread, crusts removed, torn into 1-inch pieces; 2 cups, low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth; 2 tablespoons, brandy (optional); , Salt and ground black pepper; 1/4 cup, chopped fresh chives

118 comments

Appears in Cook's Illustrated September/October 2008, America's Test Kitchen TV

Plain tomato soup can be thin and sharp. Adding cream—the usual stodgy solution—merely dulls it. We wanted to tame the tartness without losing flavor.

SERVES6 to 8

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WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

We wanted a creamy tomato soup recipe that would have velvety smoothness and a bright tomatoey taste, without added cream. We started with canned tomatoes because they had better flavor than supermarket tomatoes and were already peeled. Fin...

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