The best tomato soup in Maryland

[Peggy]

This summer while on the eastern shore of Maryland, I had the pleasure of having lunch at a fabulous restaurant called Legal Spirits Restaurant & Tavern in Easton, Md. Best known for their tomato based cream of crab soup, I had also heard a lot about their "Shore Boys Cream of Charred Tomato Soup." At $4 a cup...or $11 a pt to go, it better be good! And it was, in fact it was excellent. Of course they won't give out their "secret recipe." This soup has a deep smoky taste, very flavorful.

This summer I've made attempts to create my own "charred tomato soup" and tho mine is good, it doesn't even come close to the Shore Boys soup.

Generally I skin and cut my tomatoes into chunks. I add lots of onions, basil, salt and roasted garlic. I coat the mix in EVOO and bake it @ 450 until the veggies start to burn a little. Then I make a stock...I've made it from homemade chicken stock or stock made with a ham bone but I can't seem to get that smoky flavor that Shore Boys has.

Anyone have any tips on making an awesome tomato soup? Or worked at Legal Spirits Restaurant? If so, please share!

Thanx

http://shoreboys.com/[/quote]

[landarc]

Just a guess as to a start, but, anytime I see or hear deep smoky flavor, I make the basic assumption that wood has to be involved. That being the case, it becomes a hunt for the wood that is being used to char the tomatoes. And, to a big degree, I wonder what tomato they are using, to me, sometimes black toms have a more smoky taste, reds much less so.

[feldon30]

I think removing the skin is a strike against flavor, but I have never tried to make such a soup. Have you tried charring the tomatoes over flame or under the broiler and THEN smoking them with wood chips?

[travis]

My guess would be very carefully measured (drop by drop) additions of Liquid Smoke until you get the desired intensity. Anytime I detect a distinct smokey flavor in restaurant food like soups, BBQ sauces, "hickory" honey salad dressings, etc., I suspect Liquid Smoke. JMO ... as a former restaurant owner and food convention junky.

PV

[Worth1]

"Liquid Smoke"

I bet they use it too.

Worth

[Peggy]

Landarc, I thought about smoking them with wood chips but I wouldn't know how to go about it. I wish I'd asked what type of tomatoes they used. They might have told me that much at least. I'll just have to go back!

Feldon, I have charred the tomatoes under a broiler with and without skin. It doesn't seem to make a difference.

Liquid smoke! Great idea!! I have a bottle of liquid smoke but it's pretty old. Does that stuff go bad? I'll give it a try.

Thanx!

[travis]

Originally Posted by Peggy

Liquid smoke! Great idea!! I have a bottle of liquid smoke but it's pretty old. Does that stuff go bad? I'll give it a try.
Thanx!

Does it go bad

Peggy, I think Liquid Smoke is one of those condiments that's as bad as it can get when it's fresh

Seriously, I don't think it spoils. It's some kind of concentrated distillation of real hickory smoke, they say.

By the way, I think they now make it in Mesquite in addition to the original Hickory flavored. But be careful not to use too much ... a little wee bit goes a loooooooooong way.

PV

[landarc]

My understanding is that it is grain alchohol (white lightening) in which ground wood coals are soaked to create a flavor extract (very similar to vanilla extract). It is then filtered and ready to go. It is handy, in a less than authentic sort of way, to add smoke to BBQ sauce and condiments. I don't much care for it and don;t think it adds real smoke flavor.

I would suggest for smoking tomatoes, remove the seed and surrounding gel, salt the tomato with some kosher salt and let it sit out for a couple hours on a rack, over a bowl. Get your fire going, throw the tomatoes on, they should be kinda dry with a good pellicle formed, and char them. Cut the heat back and throw some smoking wood on. I think the salt helps with veggies over the grill as it removes some of the moisture before cooking, concentrates the flavor.

[travis]

Personally, I can't stand Liquid Smoke ... I was just suggesting that in most commercial restaurants, that's how they get the taste profile.

If I were tryin' to replicate a smokey tomato flavor in a soup base, I would do it more naturally by taking some sundried tomatoes ... which are already nice and dry and cured in olive oil ... and simply smoking them in a kettle smoker over a handful of smoldering charcoal with some hickory or pecan wood or bark at low temps like 180* - 200*F for a good while. The olive oil will soak up the smoke flavor like pork fat does.

Then I would rehydrate the smoked sundried tomatoes and blenderize them before adding to the soup stock and tomato base. Kinda the same as chipoltle smokin'.

PV

[Tomstrees]

making home made beef jerky
we had to add liquid smoke -
In my opinion ?
The real thing would be much better (aka smoking) -
and in this case (soup) , grill those tomatoes !

~ Tom

[Peggy]

I'm not very familiar with liquid smoke. I don't even know why I have it in my cupboard. This tomato soup is the best you've ever had. I love tomato soup and live to grow enuff maters to keep me in soup all winter. This restaurant is a landmark, great food, very up$cale. So liquid smoke is probably not what they use.

I have a webber. But I don't have a source of pecan or hickory. How 'bout apple? Unfortunately...my tomato season is winding down now. Heavy rains and blight have taken their toll. But I won't give up...there's always next year. I wanna be ready tho...!

[VGary]

Simple Method for Drying/Smoking Tomatoes
I found a great resource for saving/preserving tomatoes! This guy is cool and gives a great simple "how to" instructions.
Gary/Louisville

Quote:
"I was watching "Food Finds" on Food Network and saw a man named Larry at a place called Boggy Creek Farm drying Roma tomatoes in a smokehouse. It takes three to five days for Larry to dry tomatoes this way, and he sells them in 2 ounce bags for $7.50 each.
I don't have a smokehouse, nor do I have the patience to spend five days drying tomatoes, but I figured I could do something similar with the WSM.

You can use smoke-dried tomatoes as you would sun-dried tomatoes. Add them to pizza, pasta, casseroles, stews, sauces, soups, salads, dips, stuffing, antipastos, scrambled eggs, cornbread...the possibilities are endless!

Smoke-dried tomatoes can be packed into sterilized glass jars with or without sprigs of fresh herbs, covered with extra-virgin olive oil, and stored in the refrigerator. The olive oil becomes infused with the smoky tomato flavor and is just delicious.
As always...click on any of the pictures to view a larger image."



Tips from Weber
http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/tomatoes1.html

[bizzarbazzar]

This is only my opinion and my opinion is often wrong.....

Liquid smoke in my opinion has an artificial taste to it. I would smoke the tomatoes in a smoker and if you dont have one (I have a commercial sized smoker, so I can smoke 4 turducken (turduckhen's) at a time and more misc meat that others in the family eat) you can use a grill. But make sure you soak the wood (alder or cherry or red oak would probably be the best) for at least 24 hours or the wood will actually burn instead of smoke... if you want a pretty charred taste, soak some wood for 24 hours or more and a few pieces just moisten. Light grill or smoker... wait 10-15 minutes...on a grill and 5 minutes in a smoker Put a cast iron pot lined with foil on the grill (or if you have a smoker....you wont need the pot....just foil line one of the racks...) add a tiny bit of olive oil (You can use EVOO....but extra virgin....is really too "PURE"? ) to the pot or directly on the tomato if you are using a smoker.... close door on smoker or lid on grill and ignore for 2 hours in a smoker...or check every 15 minutes on the grill. I keep my smoker at 200 degrees and with a grill thats not so easy because the heat is direct> (add wood as needed)

Again, This is my opinion and I am often incorrect and wrong>

Heather

[angelique]

Have you tried using smoked sea salt? Whole Foods sells it. I use it in my black beans, roasted veggy salsa, bbq, and fresh pickled cukes (Layered sliced cukes, Trader Joe's Lemon Pepper (comes in a grinder), lots of ground cumin, and smoke sea salt soaked in TJ's White Balsamic vinegar).

The smoke taste is very mild...Use in moderation. I once made the mistake of using smoked sea salt directly in ground turkey...Double yuck. It was way to salty.

Good luck.

Angelique

[Peggy]

Gary & Heather, thanks for the tips! I've been wanting a smoker and maybe it's time to invest in one soon. I printed out the "Simple Method for Drying/Smoking Tomatoes." I'll bet they're very tasty smoke dried. I have dried them before in my convection oven but the temp only goes down to 170 so I was going to invest in a good dehydrator. I think I'd prefer the smoker tho. I have a friend that will allow me to cut some wild cherry from his property or I can buy chips if I have to.

Angelique, I'll look for the smoked sea salt at Whole Foods next time I'm there too. I've never heard of it.

Thanx!