Author Notes: Faced with an abundance of seasonal farm-grown produce, I couldn’t resist making this fragrant soup to celebrate the season. Sweet, tart, and earthy, this bisque offers a warming blend of heirloom tomatoes, cream, and fresh herbs. Serve it with crunchy, waffled grilled cheese sandwiches on the side. —Feed Me Dearly
Food52 Review: WHO: Feed Me Dearly lives in New York with her husband, 2 kids, and 400 cookbooks.
WHAT: A spin on a classic summertime lunch.
HOW: Make a tomato soup from a generous helping of cream, onion, chicken broth, and heirloom tomatoes. As it simmers, sandwich Saint-André cheese between white sandwich bread and grill it in a waffle maker. Dip away.
WHY WE LOVE IT: As grilled cheese aficionados, it takes something special to catch our eye, but this version, with its crispy edges, golden-brown, thin shell, and buttery cheese waffled its way into our hearts—and stomachs. —The Editors
Serves: 4
Ingredients
For the tomato soup:
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1
small diced onion
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6
tablespoons butter, divided
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1
teaspoon salt
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1/2
tablespoon fresh, chopped oregano
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2
pounds heirloom tomatoes, chopped
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4
cups chicken broth
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2
tablespoons all-purpose flour
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1
cup heavy cream
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1
cup half-and-half
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1/4
teaspoon ground cloves
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Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
For the grilled cheese sandwiches:
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12
ounces Saint-André cheese, chilled
-
16
slices of white sandwich bread
-
4
ounces butter
Directions
For the tomato soup:
- In a large pot, sauté the onion in 4 tablespoons of the butter, and add the salt and oregano until translucent, about 4 minutes.
- Add in the chopped tomatoes and chicken broth and bring to a simmer.
- While the tomatoes and broth come to a simmer, prepare a roux in a separate small saucepan. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, then add the flour. Stirring for a few minutes until the flour just starts to brown.
- Add the cream and half-and-half, stirring constantly until just simmering. With the heat on low, cook the mixture for 20 minutes, covered. Add the mixture into the pot with the tomatoes.
- Add the ground cloves and purée the soup with an immersion blender.
- Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper, and serve with the waffled grilled cheese sandwiches.
- Note: If the tomato soup ends up separating, just re-blend it with your immersion blender.
For the grilled cheese sandwiches:
- Cut the chilled Saint-André cheese into 1/2 inch to 1/4 inch slices and divide it evenly between it in between the half of the slices of sandwich bread. Top each cheesy half with another slice.
- Butter each side of the sandwich and grill it inside a waffle iron until the bread is nice and golden, about 2 minutes.
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Photo by Mark Weinberg
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