LaMadeleine's Tomato Basil Soup

By rhongaut

Ingredients

• 4 cups whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
• 4 cups tomato juice or part tomato juice/part chicken
• stock
• 12-14 washed fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 lb. sweet, unsalted butter (1 stick)
• 2 slices stale bread
• 1/4 cup grated Italian cheese
• salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Preparation

Step 1

Combine tomatoes, juice and/or stock in a dutch oven. Simmer for 30 minutes. Puree along with basil leaves using immersion blender.

Trim crusts off the bread and dice it in scant quarter inch cubes. Melt the butter in a skillet, add the cubes of bread and cook over medium heat until the bread is pale gold and crisp. Add the bread along with the butter to the soup. Simmer over low heat until the croutons have totally disappeared and the soup thickened (or blend in pot with immersion blender). Stir in the cream. Season to taste with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Serve in bowl with a small amount of Italian cheese on top.