Bistro Jeanty?s Tomato Soup in Puff Pastry

Philippe Jeanty?s original recipe calls for fresh tomatoes, but in the winter, when Wine Country tomatoes are but a memory, we recommend good canned tomatoes that were harvested at the peak of the season.

Serves 6

1 stick (1/2 cup) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large yellow onion, peeled and sliced

Kosher salt

6 garlic cloves, peeled

1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, preferably Muir Glen or San Marzano, or

2 1/2 pounds ripe red tomatoes, peeled, seeded and quartered

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns

1 teaspoon dried thyme

4 cups heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

1 pound puff pastry, cold but not frozen

1 egg white

Melt the 1/2 cup butter in a heavy soup pot set over medium-low heat. Add the onions, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Do not let the onions color. Season with salt.

Add the garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf, peppercorns and thyme. Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until the onions and tomatoes are very soft.

Pass the soup through a food mill or pur? with an immersion blender and pass through a strainer. Return the soup to the pot. Stir in the cream, white pepper and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.

Taste and correct for salt. When the soup begins to boil, remove it from the heat, cover and let cool for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate and reheat.

To serve, preheat the oven to 450 degrees and ladle the soup into ovenproof soup bowls or cups and set them on a large baking sheet. Roll out the puff pastry to a thickness of 1/4-inch. Cut six rounds, tracing them slightly larger than the soup bowls or cups.

Put the egg white into a small bowl, add 1 tablespoon water and beat lightly with a fork.

Use a pastry brush to gently coat the puff pastry with the egg wash. Set a round on top of each serving, turning it so that the egg wash faces down and pulling lightly so that the dough fits over the bowl or cup like the skin of a drum. Gently brush the tops of the dough with the egg wash.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. Do not open the oven for the first seven or eight minutes or the dough may fall. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.