-
Melt the butter in a small pot or large saucepan.
-
Finely dice the shallots and celery and add to the pot. On medium heat cook until tender. This should take about 12 minutes.
-
Add the tomato paste and stir until smooth.
-
Stir in the flour and cook for 2 additional minutes. We want to cook some of that raw starchy taste out.
-
Pour in the sherry. If you done have sherry, you can substitute for a nice Madera wine or white wine. Ideally you want a wine with a little sweetness to it.
-
Next, add the stock and cook for another 10 minutes. At this point, if you want the soup to be perfectly smooth, you can use a hand held blender to zap it to the right consistence. Make sure the heat is turned off if you do this extra step. Return to heat after blending.
-
Add the half and half and 1 cup of the heavy cream.
-
Stir in the crab meat.
-
Garnish each bowl with the parsley, the reserved 1/4 cup cream, and reserved crab meat.