Roasted tomatoes.
It’s all about the roasted tomatoes.
With a good crumble of brown sugar strewn across them, these seeded whole canned tomatoes are laid out on a cookie sheet and submitted to oven’s heat to mellow and darken and roast. Deep flavor rich, they are what Cream of Roasted Tomato Soup is made of. Blended together with a questionable amount of bubbling melted butter, a translucent onion, full-bodied chicken stock, thick cream, some cayenne heat, and a shot of brandy, they become something worth slurping right out of the soup bowl.
That’s right. Forget the spoon and dive right in.
I made a gallon of this recently, and I quickly wondered why I hadn’t made two – why I didn’t have an entire pantry devoted to the keeping of jars upon jars of Cream of Roasted Tomato Soup. This is surely something to contemplate while licking the last luscious drops from the bowl.
And now I would like to gently but firmly impress upon you the idea of making this very soup this weekend. And please make plenty. And it would be best if you made it tomorrow and served it on Sunday, because by Sunday, the flavors will have melded and will, quite frankly, blow your mind. And if you can, serve it with grilled bacon and cheese sandwiches on French bread, which have been perfectly browned and smoked on the hot rack of an outdoor grill.
I’m being a bit bossy, here, I realize. But it’s about time you tasted amazing.
Cream of Roasted Tomato Soup
adapted from The New Best Recipe from the editors of Cook’s Illustrated
Serves 8
4 28 oz cans whole tomatoes in juice; 6 cups juice reserved
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 (1/2 c.) stick butter
1 large onion, chopped
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons brandy or dry sherry
Salt and cayenne pepper
Place oven rack in the upper-middle position and preheat oven to 450o F. Over a strainer set into a larger bowl, gently squeeze the seeds and juice from the canned tomatoes by holding each one in the palm of your hand and applying pressure with your fingers from one end to the other. Place seeded tomatoes across a cookie sheet, leaving space around each. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Roast in hot oven until liquid has evaporated and color has deepened, approximately 30-40 minutes. Let tomatoes cool slightly and remove from cookie sheet, place in a bowl, and set aside.
In a large stockpot, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped onion , reduce heat and saute slowly until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Whisking constantly, slowly add the chicken stock, stir in reserved tomato juice, and the roasted tomatoes. Cover and increase heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until flavors meld, about 10-20 minutes. Strain the mixture into a medium bowl; rinse out the saucepan. Transfer the tomatoes and solids from the strainer to a blender, add 2 cups of the liquid. Blend on high until smooth. Combine the puree and strained liquid together in the stockpot and warm over low heat for 5 minutes, add the cream and stir to combine. Off the heat blend in brandy or sherry. Adjust seasonings with salt and cayenne.
Serve hot.
*Can be made 2 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Gently warm over low heat; do not boil.
Wishing you the loveliest of weekends, friends!
