Creamy Tomato Bisque with Fried Cheese? Yes, Please.
Raise your hand if you would choose a grilled cheese sandwich dipped in a bowl of homemade tomato soup as your last meal on earth? Yeah, same here! On a recent trip to the Tillamook Creamery (AKA our favorite place) we discovered an elevated version of classic grilled cheese and tomato soup! The soup on the menu is a delightful creamy version of homemade tomato soup, and (best of all) it’s topped with crispy fried cheese curds! We came home from that trip with one missing in mind, create a homemade version of that delightful meal!
Favorite Cheese, Hands Down!
Tillamook cheese has been a household staple for us long before our partnership with the brand began. Just when we thought we couldn’t love the brand more, we were given a behind the scenes look at the incredible family of farmers who makeup Tillamook. For those curious as to why we are fans for life, here is a little bit of info from behind the scenes:
- Tillamook is a farmer-owned company. With nearly 100 family farms, it’s the individuals who make up what we know as the Tillamook County Creamery.
- High-quality facilities and lush green acres give their cows the happy life they deserve and, thanks to some seriously high tech farming equipment, they are able to give very detailed care to the cows as individuals vs. a herd. Happy cows equals high-quality dairy!
- A visit to Tillamook’s brand new visitor center is a magical thing indeed. Fun fact: more people visit the new facility each day than visit the Empire State building! You can even watch the production of the products themselves and sample all the cheeses!
The Tillamook Experience + Fried Cheese!
After an entire day of touring farms, watching production, and getting excited (all over again) about a company that gives everything to have dairy done right, we celebrated by eating even more cheese. We got to dive into the full menu from Tillamook’s new cafe at the visitor center and after tasting fried oysters, bacon-beer mac and cheese, and fried cheese curds, we needed a nap! But, we were also inspired to share a little of our delicious meal with you! If you’re too far to try the creamery out for yourself, we want to at least make it possible for you to taste these delicious things at home. Enter this recipe! Our own version of the tomato bisque that was served with both fried cheese curds and grilled cheese sandwiches at Tillamook...aka our favorite meal ever.
What is the Difference Between Soup and Bisque?
Traditionally, a bisque means it’s base is made from a seafood stock. However, we refer to a bisque as anything creamy and pureed (as does most everyone else). In simple terms, a bisque is a fast way of saying this soup has cream, i.e….they’re just better.
How Do You Make Homemade Tomato Bisque?
We like to make our tomato bisque creamy, but with a bit of texture—in other words, not totally smooth. In order to accomplish this, we only puree it enough to make it slurpable, and not so much that it’s completely smooth, but this is a matter of preference. You are more than welcome to make your bisque completely smooth if that’s what floats your boat.
What Ingredients Go In Tomato Bisque?
We didn’t get the exact recipe from Tillamook, but we’ve done our best to replicate it based on taste. We’re relying on a few simple, easy-to-find ingredients:.
- Butter (of course)
- Canned tomatoes
- Olive oil
- Chicken broth (or use veggie broth to make this tomato soup vegetarian)
- Celery
- Onions
- Carrots
- Garlic
- Basil
- Cream
- Salt and pepper
Fried Cheese vs. Grilled Cheese
Naturally, making a classic grilled cheese to serve with this tomato soup is easier than making fried cheese. If you’re not up for a challenge, just do that! After sampling the fried cheese curds at the Tillamook Creamery Cafe, we were sold. We just had to replicate the whole dish at home. Either works great as an accompaniment to this bisque, but fried cheese is also just really fun to serve and eat!
How Do You Make Fried Cheese?
For this fried cheese recipe, we use Tillamook award-winning medium cheddar cheese instead of curds, because you can’t currently buy their curds in stores. Either works beautifully—it’s fried cheese! There’s no “wrong” way. Here’s how do make fried cheese:
- Cut the cheese into one inch cubes and throw them in the freezer for a bit.
- Dip cubes in an egg wash, followed by seasoned bread crumbs.
- Carefully drop the prepared cubes a few at a time into prepared hot oil.
- Wait until they turn golden brown, about 3-5 minutes and then transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Drop your hot fried cheese straight into your soup.
Tools You Will Need:
More To-Die-For Soups:
Cold Weather You Can Stay—We Have Creamy Tomato Bisque Topped with Fried Cheese.
If you make this tomato bisque with fried cheese, we’d love to hear about it! Be sure to snap a photo, add it to your Instagram feed or stories and tag @themodernproper and #themodernproper if you do. Also, feel free to leave a comment on the post and tell your friends where you discovered the recipe!
This sponsored post is written by TMP on behalf of Tillamook Creamery. The opinions and text are all ours. Thank you for supporting the brands we love.
