Old-Fashioned Tomato Soup with Maple-Candied Bacon

By anonsouthernbell

“This is one of the first soups I remember from my childhood. When I had to stay at home, feeling
slightly feverish, my mom served this simple soup with a creamy grilled cheese sandwich; it always made
me feel much better. There may be nothing in the world that beats tomato soup and melted cheese.
Adding the decadent, sweet-smoky bacon elevates the soup to gourmet heaven.” – Lorraine Wallace

Ingredients

• 8 slices thick-cut applewood-smoked bacon
• 2 tablespoons maple sugar or light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• One 28-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes, drained and seeded
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 ⁄2 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 11 ⁄4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, homemade (page 230) or store-bought
• 1 ⁄4 cup heavy cream

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

Bacon: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the
bacon on the parchment and bake for 8 to 12 minutes (depending on thickness), turning over
once, until crisp. With bunched-up paper towels, blot the fat from the baking sheet and sprinkle
bacon with the maple sugar. Bake for 6 minutes more, until glazed. Set aside.

Soup: Place a medium sized, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and add the butter and
oil. When the butter has melted, add the onion, rosemary, and bay leaf. Cook, stirring frequently,
until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute, then
reduce the heat to medium-low and add the tomato paste. Cook, stirring for a minute or two to
cook off the raw taste of the tomato paste, then add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally,
until the tomatoes have begun to break down, about 6 minutes. Add the salt, a pinch of pepper,
the granulated sugar, and the broth. Stir to mix and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently, partially covered, for 10 minutes. Stir in the cream and
remove from the heat. Let cool, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
Discard the rosemary sprig and bay leaf and transfer to a blender or food processor. Process until
very smooth. (Hold the top of the blender firmly with a folded towel to prevent an explosion of hot
soup.) Return to the saucepan and warm through over medium heat.
Serve: Ladle into wide, warm bowls, and serve with 2 pieces of bacon perched on the edge of each
bowl.