Roasted Tomato, Whipped Burrata and Basil Oil Soup

By lorik

Ingredients

• For the soup:
• Makes 1 1/2 to 2 quarts
• 2 pounds Roma tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• A sprinkling of sea salt and black pepper
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 large shallots
• 2 large cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 5 cups rich chicken broth
• 2 large basil leaves
• Additional salt and pepper, to taste
• For the burrata, basil oil, and putting it all together:
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 eight-ounce ball of fresh burrata cheese
• Roasted tomato soup

Details

Adapted from food52.com

Preparation

Step 1

For the Soup:

Halve the tomatoes lengthwise and seed them. Place the halves, cut side up, on a parchment- or Silpat-lined rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle them with the 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle a little salt and pepper over. Roast in a 350° F oven for one hour. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Finely dice the shallots and garlic. In a 4 quart soup pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter, add the diced garlic and shallots and sauté until they soften up and become very fragrant. Stir in the 2 tablespoons of flour and then saute for another minute or two.
Add the chicken broth and roasted tomatoes to the pot, bring up to a boil, and then simmer the mixture for 20 minutes.
Let the soup cool a bit and then, in batches, purée the soup in a blender until quite smooth. During one of those batches add the two basil leaves so that they get puréed also.
You can certainly strain the soup into a clean pot, but I don't mind the few stray bits of tomato that might remain, so I leave it a little "rustic". In any event, return the puréed soup to a clean pot.

For Finishing:

Place the basil leaves, olive oil, and salt in a blender and then blend until the mixture gets as smooth as you can get it. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth, pressing on the solids with the back of a spoon to extract all of the oil. Set aside.
Break up the ball of burrata and place in a mini food processor and process until light and fluffy.
Gently reheat the soup, ladle into serving bowls and top each with a dollop of the whipped burrata and a drizzle of the basil oil.