Soup
Oven Roasted Tomato Soup with Stilton Cream

This recipe was featured on "You're the Chef" episode #407. Buy this episode from WVIA.

Yield: two quarts

Ingredients:

Step 1
2 lb.	ripe plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise, seeds removed
as needed	virgin olive oil
as needed	salt
as needed	ground black pepper
Step 2
1/4 c.	virgin olive oil
1 c.	leeks, white and green, chopped thin
1 c.	carrots, sliced thin
1 c.	celery, sliced thin
1 lb.	red skin potatoes, peeled, rough cut small
1 qt.	water
1/4 c.	parsley, fresh, chopped
1/4 c.	basil, fresh, chopped
Step 3
1 c.	heavy cream
1/4 lb.	Stilton blue cheese, crumbled
to taste	salt
to taste	ground black pepper

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Step 1 procedure:
Place cleaned tomatoes on an oven sheet tray. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 300° for approximately 3 hours, or until the tomatoes have shrunk to half of their weight and have begun to brown slightly. Remove from the oven.

Step 2 procedure:
Sweat the leeks, carrots and celery in oil until they are bright in color and slightly soft. Add the water, potatoes, roasted tomatoes and herbs. Simmer for 1 hour, or until the vegetables are all soft. Puree using an immersion blender, traditional blender or food processor.

Step 3 procedure:
Return to the heat, add the heavy cream and bring to a simmer. If the soup seems too thick, add additional water to get the consistency you prefer. Add the cheese and stir until completely melted. Adjust seasoning and hold soup warm until ready to serve.