Roasted Tomato Soup with Broiled Cheddar

-- Adapted from SmittenKitchen.com --

Serves 4 (though closer to 6 if served in mugs)

Who doesn't love soup topped with cheese?  Tyler doesn't even like tomato soup much and he liked this because of the cheese!  Woo hoo!

Ingredients:
Soup
3 pounds tomatoes, halved lengthwise (plum tomatoes were recommended)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large or 4 small cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves or 1/4 teaspoon dried
1/4 teaspoon (or more to taste) dried crushed red pepper
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Grilled Cheese Lid
4 1-inch slices from a large loaf of rye bread, whole wheat sourdough or bread of your choice (or 16 1-inch slices from a baguette), toasted until hard and lightly buttered on one side
1 tablespoon grated raw onion
1 cup coarsely grated cheese (or more to taste) - mozzarella or cheddar would be my top choices.  But I'm sure anything would work.


Make soup: Preheat oven to 400°F. Wrap garlic cloves in a tight foil packet. Place tomatoes, cut side up, on large baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper (I used 1 full teaspoon of Kosher salt). Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil. Add foil packet of garlic to tray. Roast until tomatoes are brown and tender (garlic will be very tender), about 1 hour. Cool slightly.

Unwrap garlic packet and peel cloves.

Transfer cloves, tomatoes and any accumulated juices to a large pot and use an immersion blender to create a chunky puree.  Chunks of tomatoes are definitely nice surprises in the soup.  You can also use a blender or food processor and pulse machine on and off until the consistency is reached.

Add thyme, crushed red pepper and stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and adjust seasonings to taste.

Create cheese lid: Preheat oven to 350. Arrange four ovenproof soup bowls, crocks or large mugs on a large baking sheet. Stir grated onion into the warm soup. (Although I don't love onion so I left this out).  Float toast slice(s) in each bowl, buttered side up and divide grated cheese generously over top. (If you’re using a wide bowl, you might find that you want more cheese to create a thick, broiled lid.) Bake soups on tray for 15 to 20 minutes, or until cheese on top is bubbling and brown at the edges. If you’d like it even more bronzed on top, preheat your broiler and finish soups for a minute or two under it. Serve immediately.

Do ahead: Soup can be prepared one day ahead, and kept covered in the fridge. Rewarm before serving, or before finishing with cheddar crouton.