smokey roasted tomato soup with roasted garlic gruyere toast

10 plum tomatoes
1 28oz. can san marzano diced tomatoes
roasted garlic (recipe below)
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 onion (diced)
2 tsp. smoked paprika
a few sprigs of thyme
kosher salt and black pepper to taste
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 baguette (sliced on the bias to about 1/4" slices)
freshly grated gruyere cheese

roasted garlic:
1 head of garlic
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt

preheat the oven to 400°F.

peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. using a knife, cut off 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic.

place the garlic heads in a baking pan; muffin pans work well for this purpose. drizzle a couple teaspoons of olive oil over each head, using your fingers to make sure the garlic head is well coated, and a pinch of kosher salt. cover with aluminum foil. bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft when pressed.

allow the garlic to cool enough so you can touch it without burning yourself. use a small small knife cut the skin slightly around each clove. use a cocktail fork or your fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins.

roasting the tomatoes:
preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

slice the plum tomatoes, length wise, in half and place cut side down onto a non stick baking sheet. cover the tomatoes with 1-2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, a few sprigs of thyme, salt, and pepper. place in the oven and roast 30-40 mins. or until soft. remove the skin of the tomatoes, and set aside.

making the soup:
in a soup pot, melt the butter into the olive oil on medium high heat. add in the chopped onion and cook until tender, add in 2 cloves of the roasted garlic and paprika and cook for another 30 seconds. add in the roasted tomatoes, the can of tomatoes with the juice, thyme sprig, and season with salt and pepper. bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 mins.

pour the soup into a blender and puree the tomato mixture until smooth. return the pureed soup to the pot and add in the heavy cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. keep on a low simmer until ready to serve.

roasted garlic gruyere toast:
slice the baguette on the bias into 1/4" pieces. smear 1 clove of the roasted garlic onto each slice of bread, and top with grated gruyere cheese. place in the broiler on hi, and toast until the cheese melts. about 2-4 mins.

sprinkle a bit of thyme and pepper on the soup and serve the warm toast with the soup.

enjoy :)

justin