I made this soup for the wine dinner we had last week with Kip Bedell of Bedell Cellars and Corey Creek Vineyards in celebration of Cinco de Mayo. What is a bistro doing celebrating Cinco de Mayo? In 1862 Mexico defeated the French army in the culinary town of Puebla. Puebla is to Mexico what Lyon is to France. And how fab to defeat the French in a culinary capital!
This bisque is perfectly paired with a glass of Corey Creek Rose — bone dry yet full of berry flavor to balance the heat of the Poblano Peppers.
Start with two Poblano peppers. Roast them on your grill or right on your stove top gas burner until they are charred. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic to sweat the skin. Makes peeling easy.
Peel, devein and set aside. Chop 4 shallots and Saute. Peel two to three potatoes and boil until fork tender. In a large blender add the peppers, sauteed shallots, and one potato together with 3 cups of chicken or vegetable stock and puree until smooth. If too thin, add more potato, if too thick add more chicken stock. If too spicy for you, add more of both. Add salt to taste. Just before serving, add a quarter cup of half and half and garnish with crema fresca or creme fraiche and a little chopped cilantro.
