roasted tomato soup & grilled cheese croutons

preptime: 10 minutes before roasting, 10 minutes after serves 4-5

baketime: 45-50 minutes

5 lbs ripe tomatoes

1 onion (I used sweet)

1/2 head of garlic

olive oil

1 quart chicken stock

1/8-1/4 c heavy cream

1 t sugar

salt & pepper to taste

thyme sprigs (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 450º. Line a large roasting pan/cookie sheet with foil.
2. Cut tomatoes into quarters or sixths if larger. Cut onion in half.
3. Place tomatoes, onions & thyme on roasting pan.
4. Wrap 1/2 garlic head (sliced horizontally) in foil and add to the pan.
5. Drizzle olive oil over; add generous amounts of salt & pepper. Mix with hands to coat vegetables.
6. Roast for 45-50 minutes until beginning to brown or char.
7. Add roasted tomatoes and all the juices to heavy bottom pot with chicken stock and sugar. Squeeze garlic pulp from its skins into the pot.
8. After heated through and the chicken stock and tomatoes have begun to merge flavors, ladle half the mixture into a blender. Blend thoroughly and at high speed to make sure the seeds and skins are completely broken down.
9. Pour this first mixture into a bowl and repeat the process with the second batch of tomatoes.
10. Return both blended batches to the pan and heat.
11. Add the cream.
12. Taste and adjust seasonings.