Email to Cat      

Grilled Cheese with Creamy Tomato Soup

Source of Recipe

From "Williams-Sonoma Comfort Food"


Recipe Introduction

"Here, we've upgraded a classic childhood pairing from canned soup to a fresh and nutritious homemade variety, infused with flavor-rich roasted plum tomatoes. Keep portions healthy by quartering the sandwiches and serving them atop steaming bowls of soup, as grilled cheese croutons."

List of Ingredients

Creamy Tomato Soup:
â—¦ 2 tablespoons olive oil
â—¦ 4 pounds plum tomatoes
â—¦ 2 celery stalks
â—¦ â…“ cup shallots
â—¦ 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
â—¦ ½ cup chicken stock or broth, or as needed
â—¦ 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
â—¦ ½ teaspoon sugar
â—¦ ½ cup heavy cream
â—¦ Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Grilled Cheese:
â—¦ ¾ pound mild Cheddar cheese, thinly sliced
â—¦ 8 slices sourdough bread or pain au levain
â—¦ 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, or at room temperature


Recipe

To make the soup:
Preheat the oven to 400° F. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet. Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise. Finely chop the celery and shallots. Place them, cut side up, on the prepared baking sheet and brush with the 2 tablespoons oil. Roast until the tomatoes look somewhat shriveled, about 45 minutes. Let cool for about 20 minutes.

Transfer the tomatoes and any juices to a food processor. Pulse until chopped, then rub the tomatoes and their juices through a coarse-mesh sieve placed over a bowl. You should have about 3½ cups tomato purée. Discard the contents of the sieve.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes.

Stir in the tomato purée, stock, and thyme and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes. Stir in the sugar. In 3 or 4 batches, transfer the soup to a blender and process until smooth. Transfer to a clean saucepan, add the cream, and heat until piping hot but not boiling. If the soup seems thick, thin with more stock. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To make the grilled cheese sandwiches:
Heat a griddle or two large frying pans over medium heat until hot. For each sandwich, place one-fourth of the cheese on top of one bread slice and top with a second bread slice. Spread the outsides of each sandwich with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Place on the griddle, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the undersides are golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the sandwiches and brown the other side, 3 to 4 minutes more. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls. Serve at once, with the hot sandwiches alongside.


Makes 4 servings