Roasted Red and Yellow Pepper Puree
This recipe came from Chef Alan Bickel, whom I interviewed in my Novice to Pro section and who wrote a wonderful article about life in a professional kitchen called The ‘Rest’ of the Kitchen.
Don’t be alarmed by the number of ingredients for this recipe. You are making the same puree twice, one with red and one with yellow peppers, with a few minor changes.
It looks like a lot of work, and yes, it’s more difficult than making a simple chicken noodle soup, but not only will it look good, but it’ll also taste great.
Questions & Answers
I asked Alan some questions about his recipe, and here’s what he told me:
When asked why he calls this dish a puree rather than a soup, he replied,
“I prefer the term puree to soup because it emphasizes what the dish is. People often have pre-conceived notions of what ‘soup’ is, and something as simple as calling a soup a ‘puree’ or a pot roast a ‘roast loin’ can mean the difference between a great menu item and just another waste of space.
Of course, it is just soup in reality, but it’s not Campbell’s or cream of mushrooms, so I feel it merits distinction.”
When asked if these separate purees could stand up on their own, Alan said,
“Absolutely, each half of the dish could stand up on its own as a soup (or hey, thicken it up a little, and you’ve got a stellar sauce). Again, here, it’s all a matter of preference.
Personally, I love the way the colors contrast each other and the way their corresponding flavor profiles complement and offset each other.”
When asked about the various types of tomatoes and the ones he prefers for this recipe, he said,
“I prefer summertime Heirlooms to grocery store beefsteak tomatoes because of the flavor (they’re much sweeter and a bit firmer).
If you’ve got access to garden-grown tomatoes, by all means, use ’em up. I really don’t like to use Roma or cherry tomatoes, mostly because of their small size.”
Roasted Red and Yellow Pepper Puree
Ingredients
For the Red Pepper Puree
- 4 oz butter
- 3½ oz shallot diced
- 1 oz garlic minced
- 3 oz flour
- 3 roasted red peppers
- 12 oz chicken stock well flavored
- 8 oz tomato concasse*
- 12 oz heavy cream
- 8 oz tomato juice
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1½ oz kosher salt
- 1 oz white pepper
- 2 oz Sriracha hot sauce you can pick this up at most gourmet shops these days.
For the Yellow Pepper Puree
- 4 oz butter
- 2 oz shallot diced
- 1 oz garlic
- 1½ oz flour
- 2 large yellow peppers roasted
- 6 oz corn kernels steamed
- 24 oz chicken stock well flavored
- 6 oz heavy cream
- 2½ oz lemon juice fresh squeezed
- 1 teaspoon saffron
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
Instructions
- For the Red Pepper Puree
- In a suitable sized saucepot, working with the first listing of ingredients, melt the butter and sauté the shallots and garlic. Once softened, add the flour and stir to make a blonde roux.
- Add the roasted red peppers, stock, concasse and tomato juice, bring to a boil.
- Reduce to a simmer and add the cream, spices, and sriracha.
- Run the entire mixture through a food processor until thoroughly pureed. Bring to a simmer and adjust seasonings as necessary.
For the Yellow Pepper Puree
- In a fresh sauce pot, working with the second listing of ingredients, melt the butter, and sauté the shallots and garlic. Add the flour and stir to make a blonde roux.
- Add the yellow pepper, corn, and stock. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat and add cream.
- Add saffron, coriander, salt, white pepper, and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer.
- Run this mixture through the food processor until finely pureed. Bring back to a simmer and reduce to match consistency of the red pepper half.
- It is vital that the consistency of the two soups be the same at this point. Portion by placing a 4 oz ladle of each soup into a suitable bowl at the same time, from opposite sides.
5 Responses
What is the difference in the yellow and red bell peppers? To me they taste the same…
Separating the color makes the food so attractive. I guess it’s not only the taste that matters but how you present it, and how the finish product looks like. I really appreciate the section when you are discussing the difference between soup and puree. Nice one.
Hi Shawn, food presentation will not change how food tastes but how we perceive it will taste. It is one of the hardest details for home cooks to learn and one I’m working on myself. – RG
If not for your writing this topic could be very convoluted and oblique.
Too many ingredients for a basic “puree”; it’s not a very pragmetic recipe.
Thanks for you input John – RG
The best.