Roasted Tomato Bisque

There is never a bad time for soup in my eyes. Most people don't like to eat soup during the summer but not me, I will eat it whenever. So I decided to make some killer tomato, basil soup which quickly turned into roasted tomato bisque. It's basically the same thing except with cream in it. It's really simple to make and will quickly have you never buying that canned tomato soup ever again. If you have any questions please feel free to give me a call.

Ingredients
- 5 pounds roma tomatoes
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and Pepper
- 2 medium onions diced
- 6 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 10 cups (2.5 quarts) good chicken stock
- 1/4 cup of minced fresh basil
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Cornstarch slurry (recipe to follow)

1. Preheat over to 400 degrees.
2. Take a tomato and cut off the end where the stem was and lay it cut side down on a cutting board. Then cut the tomato in half by cutting from north to south down the middle of the tomato. Lay cut side down on a cookie sheet. Repeat with the rest of the tomatoes.
3. Drizzle all the tomatoes with EVOO then season with salt and pepper. Bake for 45 minutes or until the skins on the tomatoes start to separate from the flesh. Remove from oven and set aside until cool enough to be handled by hand.
4. Remove the skins from the roasted tomatoes and discard. Place skinless tomatoes into a blender and puree until nice and smooth. Set aside.
5. Add olive oil to a large stock pot with onions, garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté until sweated about 5 minutes.
6. Add reserved tomato puree, chicken stock, basil, cream and butter. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and continue for 1 hour.
7. Make a slurry of 1 part cornstarch and 2 parts water. While soup is simmering stir in the slurry until you get the desired thickness you are looking for.
8. Pour into bowls, garnish with fresh basil and serve with your favorite grilled cheese.
9. Enjoy!

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