December 2, 2019–I was starting to feel a nip in the air so knew it was time to return soup to my life. Having lived in warm environments for the past four years (GTMO and Miami) I missed out on the pleasures of a warm bowl of soup or bisque. I’ve made this soup before but for some reason never added it to the blog. As with most of my cooking I went to one of my trusty ATK cookbooks. This particular recipe is from their 2011-2015 TV Show Cookbook. Although there are a lot of steps, everyone adds a depth of flavor.
You first need to drain and deseed your tomatoes. Reserve the juice since you will use it later. Line a baking sheet with foil, spread the tomatoes on top, then sprinkle them with brown sugar. Roasting the tomatoes in the a 350 degree oven will evaporate the liquid and concentrate the flavor while the sugar will promote caramelization.
While the tomatoes are roasting, dice your shallots. In a large Dutch oven melt the butter with the allspice. Once melted add the shallots and tomato paste. When the shallots are soft, add the flour, and cook until everything is well combined.
Gradually whisk in the chicken broth, the reserved tomato juice, and roasted tomatoes. Cover, bring the mixture to a boil, reduce to low then cook for about 10 minutes.
Drain the mixture reserving the liquids. Add the solids to a blender with about a cup of the liquid. Puree until smooth.
Return the pureed mixture and remaining liquid to the Dutch oven; stirring to combine.
Combine your brandy or dry sherry and heavy cream.
Gradually add this mixture to the soup, stirring to combine.
Season with salt and cayenne pepper to taste. I normally make a pretty big batch because it freezes well and tastes awesome.
Enjoy alone or with your favorite grilled cheese sandwich!
