Roasted Tomato Soup

This is a very flavorful and versatile tomato soup. It is wonderful with grilled cheese on a rainy day or as an appetizer at a dinner party. You could add crushed red pepper flakes or rosemary for extra flare. Omit the butter and go easy on the olive oil and you have a flavorful low-fat alternative. This is Tyler Florence's, the man of my (food) dreams, recipe. It is pretty much fool proof to make and it is sure to please.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 lbs fresh ripe tomatoes (preferably a mix of heirlooms, vine, plum and cherry tomatoes) 
• 1 large or 2 small yellow onions (sliced)
• 6 large whole garlic cloves
• 2 bay leaves 
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves (washed & chopped right before adding to soup)
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 1 quart of chicken stock
• kosher salt
• fresh cracked pepper
• 3/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
• basil leaves (for garnish)
• 
  Yields 4-6 servings

Time: 20 minutes prep and 50 minutes cook time.

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375. Clean, core, remove seeds and half tomatoes. Place tomatoes, sliced onions, garlic cloves on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Bake until caramelized, about 20-30 minutes.
• Remove baking sheet from oven and transfer contents to a large stock pot over medium high heat. Add  3/4 of the quart of chicken broth, bay leaves and the butter (if using, add fresh rosemary or crushed red pepper to taste).  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer. Let simmer for 15-20 minutes or until liquid is reduced by a third. 
• Add basil to soup. Remove from heat. Using an immersion blender, puree until smooth. If using a regular blender, blend half the soup at a time, placing the first blended half in a large bowl then adding both blended halves back to the pot (be careful as blending hot liquid in a regular blender can make the top explode off).
• Return to low heat and adjust to desired consistency by adding the remaining broth. Simmer for 5-10 minutes more. Salt and pepper to taste.
• Portion soup into individual serving bowls. Add a dollop of heavy cream and stir slightly. To garnish place a whole sprig of rosemary (if used in the soup) or basil leaves on top.