Tomato Soup (and a little homework)

Today, I thought I'd disguise myself as a food blogger.  (It's harder than it looks.  I kept forgetting to take pictures as I cooked.  There are a few steps I missed.)  

The weather was weird here today....grey and dreary, but super warm and almost balmy.  It was chilly in the house, but stuffy and humid outside.  The clouds looked like they really wanted to rain, but for some reason they held back.  

It's a little warm for soup, but it's been awhile since we've had this, and grey weather just makes me crave this stuff, so I decided tonight would be a great night for some tomato soup.  

(And since my camera lives on the counter these days, I thought I'd sneak in a few attempts at homework for my photography class, too.)  

This is my all time favorite soup recipe EVER.  I found it years ago in a magazine, and after making it one time, immediately copied it and put it into "the book" of favorites.  Sometime, I'll have to do a whole post on "the book."  There's some great stuff in there.

Here's the recipe if it's colder where you are and tomato soup sounds good to you, too...

Roasted Tomato Soup
4 C cherry tomatoes (3 pints)
3 T olive oil
1 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
2 T unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
4 C chicken broth
1/2 thyme
1 C whipping cream

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.  On a baking sheet lined with parchment, combine the cherry tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper.  (I had cherry tomatoes, but there are people in my house who like to snack on those things, so I thought I just used regular tomatoes this time.)  

Roast until they are shriveled and brown, about 35-45 minutes.  Usually I just throw the onions and garlic on the pan and roast those, too, but I was going for an all tomato look for my homework.  

In a large pot, heat 2T butter over medium heat.  Add the garlic and onion and sauté until softened.  (Skip this if you roasted the onions and garlic with your tomatoes.)  Add the canned tomatoes in their juice, chicken broth, thyme and the roasted tomatoes.  I use a spatula to get the tomatoes out of the pan and into the pot, and then I just lift the whole piece of parchment and pour all that yummy, roasty, tomato liquid into the pot, too.  Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.

Using a food processor or blender, or if you're lucky enough to have one of these awesome things...

I have officially requested one of these for my birthday!

...puree until everything is smooth.  

Return to the pot and stir in the cream.  This is what it looked like after I pureed it, but before the cream went in.  Sorry I forgot to take pictures of the blending part, but it was kind of a mess.  (Luckily my birthday is just around the corner.)

Without  letting the soup boil, warm over medium heat, stirring often, for about 10 minutes, or until it's steamy.
Serve with some kind of delicious, hearty bread...or grilled cheese!!   Yum, huh?