Cream of Tomato and Apple Soup with Grilled Cheese on Jalapeño Cheddar Bread courtesy of Rock Hill Bakehouse in Glens Falls – the bomb dot com
A great by-product of doing a blog is chatting about it with friends and family. During the natural course of the conversation, I’m often let in on others’ favorite recipes. This was the case when I was talking food with my friend Nikki. She shared with me a recipe for tomato soup with apple that she really liked. I was instantly intrigued and asked her to send me the recipe. She did of course – but, being the impatient person, I am, I decided to try it out for myself and put together my own spin. So – this is where this recipe was hatched.
The addition of the apple naturally calms the acidity of the tomato. The addition of the cream at the end…well, totally not necessary, but since it was the holiday season, I thought a bit of richness was in order. Plus, this gave me an excuse to use one of my favorite cool tools in the kitchen – an immersion blender. But if you don’t have one of those – a blender will do the trick.
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 honey crisp apples, diced (these just looked good to me – use whatever your favorite is)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, finely minced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes with their juice
1 ½ cups chicken (or vegetable stock)
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon basil paste (or 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil)
¼ cup heavy cream
Method:
Heat coconut oil until it completely melts. Cook onions, apples, thyme and garlic over medium high heat for about 5 minutes, allowing apples and onions to soften. Season with salt and pepper.
Add tomatoes, stock and red pepper flakes and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes, with pot partially covered.
Using an immersion blender or standard blender, combine until completely smooth. (If using a standard blender, be sure to remove the top hole of the cover to allow steam to escape but cover with a kitchen towel to avoid a huge mess.
Off the heat, add the basil paste and cream and stir until completely combined. Serve with a grilled cheese sandwich – and you’ve got yourself the perfect throwback-to-your-kid-days meal ever!
A great day for me is preparing great meals for friends and family. I enjoy experimenting with new ingredients and also updating classics that I've enjoyed for years. I love to travel and try lots of new cuisines - and wouldn't be anything without the love of my family!
