Tomato Bisque with Spicy Cheddar Twists

¼ cup + 1 teaspoon olive oil
½ cup chopped yellow onion
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
½ cup flour
3 cups homemade or store bought chicken broth
4 cups tomato sauce
2 cups tomato juice
3 cups crushed peeled tomatoes
¾ cup thinly sliced (julienned) fresh basil
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and white pepper to taste
Spicy Cheddar Twists

Spicy Cheddar Twists

1 tablespoon paprika
½ to ¾ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 (17-1/4 ounce) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
1 large egg white, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon water
½ pound sharp Cheddar cheese, grated (2 cups)

Tomato Bisque with Spicy Cheddar Twists


Heat the olive oil in a heavy stockpot and sauté the onion with the garlic until translucent. Reduce heat and add the flour to make a roux. Continue to cook over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Turn the heat up to medium and add 1½ cups of the chicken stock, whisking constantly. Add in the remaining stock and cook until the mixture begins to boil and thicken.
Reduce heat and cook for 5 minutes to cook out the starchy taste. Add the tomato sauce, tomato juice, chopped tomatoes and ½ cup of the sliced basil. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Skim off any foam that may collect on top. Add the heavy cream. Bring back to a simmer. Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste.
When ready to serve, divide the soup into 8 warmed bowls. Garnish with remaining sliced basil and Spicy Cheddar Twists. Serve immediately.
Serves: 8


Spicy Cheddar Twists


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Stir together paprika, cayenne (to taste), and ¼ teaspoon salt in small bowl.

Roll out 1 pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 14-inch square. Brush pastry with egg white, then sprinkle half of square with half of paprika mixture and half of cheese, pressing gently to adhere. Fold pastry over filling to form a rectangle, then roll lightly with rolling pin to help layers adhere and trim edges. Cut pastry into 7- by 1/2- inch strips.

Arrange strips ½ inch apart on 2 greased large baking sheets, twisting each strip each strip twice and pressing ends onto sheets. Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven until golden, about 20 minutes, and transfer twists to a rack to cool slightly. Make more cheese twists in same manner. Serve warm.
Makes: 48 sticks