Cream of Tomato Soup Topped with Puff Pastry

Ingredients:

• 6 Tbls unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• ¾ thsp whole black peppercorns
• ½ thsp dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 Tbls tomato paste
• 1 ¼ lb ripe tomatoes, cored & quartered (so not seed them)
• 2 c heavy cream
• 2 Tbls sherry
• salt
• pepper
• 1 lb puff pastry sheets
• 1 egg

Instructions:

1. Melt the 4 T of butter in a large soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion, garlic, peppercorns, thyme & bay leaf. Cover & cook for 5 minutes, do not let the onions get brown. Add the tomato paste & stir for a minute. Add the tomatoes & ½ c water. Simmer, uncovered, over low heat until the tomatoes & onions are very soft & starting to break down about 30 - 40 minutes.
    
2. Purée the mixture using either a food mill or blender. If you are using a blender, strain the mixture after blending to remove any seeds & larger bits. Return puréed soup to the pot. Add the cream, 2 T of butter and sherry plus salt & pepper to taste (we found it needed quite a bit of salt). Bring to a simmer & then remove from heat. Allow to cool at least 2 hours before the next step.
    
3. Preheat oven to 450 F. Roll out your pastry dough to ¼-inch thick. Cut out 4 circles slightly larger than you serving bowls or ramekins. Divide the soup between the four bowls. In a small bowl beat the egg. Brush the beaten egg on the pastry circles. Place the pastry, egg side down, on each bowl pulling a little to make it taut. Gently brush the top of the pastry with more egg being careful not to push it into the soup. Place the bowls on a baking sheet & then into the oven. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes until the pastry is puffed & golden (don't open your oven too early or the pastry might fall.)

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Photo Credit: agoodappetite.blogspot.com