Spiced tomato soup with saffron cream

Our khansamer made a very good tomato soup: thick, rich and with a subtle hint of spice. As a child, I was oblivious to the spicing, merely acknowledging that it “tasted nice,” but I was enchanted by the textural counterpoint of crisp, fried croutons with the silky-smooth soup. I have taken the recipe a step further with the visual fillip of a swirl of saffron-scented cream.