{"id":1330938,"date":"2019-12-06T13:06:57","date_gmt":"2019-12-06T19:06:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/?p=1330938"},"modified":"2024-10-16T05:49:53","modified_gmt":"2024-10-16T10:49:53","slug":"what-is-bisque","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/article\/what-is-bisque\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Bisque, Anyway?"},"content":{"rendered":"It's the perfect season to curl up on the couch with something warm. For cold nights, a bowl of creamy bisque<\/a> will fulfill all of your comfort food cravings. So many people throw that French-sounding word around, but really, what is<\/em> bisque?\r\n\r\nThe answers to all your questions are below. You'll be talking about bisque like Julia Child in no time!\r\n\r\nHere are more cooking tips from our favorite French chef.<\/a>\r\n

What Is Bisque?<\/h3>\r\n

A traditional French chef would define a bisque as being a thick, creamy soup made with shellfish and thickened by a paste made from their shells. Julia Child was one chef to popularize lobster bisque in the United States; her recipe uses both the shells of the lobster and rice to thicken the bisque.<\/p>\r\nToday, the definition of bisque has expanded to include vegetable bisques, like tomato<\/a> and butternut squash<\/a>. The word is more related to the smooth texture of the dish and the use of cream. Most modern bisques are thickened using rice. Some cook the rice in the broth and strain it out later, using only the left-behind rice starch to thicken the soup. Others puree the rice into the soup to thicken it. Almost all bisques are finished with hot cream for a velvety texture. The richest bisques also include butter!\r\n\r\nBisque should feel smooth and luxurious so it must be very thoroughly blended. In the past, chefs would've used a vintage tool called a food mill<\/a> to ensure everything was absolutely smooth, but you can use an immersion blender.\r\n

How Is Bisque Different Than Soup?<\/h3>\r\nBisque is a specific kind of soup. So all bisques are soup, but not all soups are bisques.\r\n\r\nThe most similar type of soup to bisque is chowder. Unlike bisque, which should be smooth and creamy, chowder has hearty chunks of meat or vegetables. Chowder is almost always thickened with a roux instead of blended ingredients. Check out our favorite chowder recipes<\/a>.\r\n

How to Make Bisque<\/h3>\r\nGenerally, a bisque recipe will follow these steps:\r\n