Cream of Tomato in the Style of Provence

This is no ordinary tomato soup. It is touched with the aromas of smoky bacon and fried salt pork, enriched with the oils of leeks and onions, the fruitiness of a soft white wine, with everything finally enveloped, in the true Provençal style, in an all-pervading mash of garlic. At the end, it is converted into a richly creamy velouté in a unique way—by being thickened with a whipped purée of rice. (See menu and wine suggestions.)