Shelly was in charge of the grilled cheese. Until she arrived and asked me the "grilled cheese" question, I had no idea that that was the usual accompaniment for tomato soup. Maybe it's an American thing. Or quite possibly, it's a sly "I don't want you to eat cheese" thing that my grandmother enforced on me as a child. But it was all going very well until I had to remove the seeds. There was no way that using a spoon was going to work so I bit the bullet and used my hands - something that I would never have done, even a year ago. It was actually fun getting my hands dirty and the tomatoes were quickly seed free and in the blender, pureeing happily with some chicken stock.
Everything after that went smoothly, but the final verdict was that it was just too thin for a hot tomato soup. It definitely didn't need any lemon juice or lemon zest as it was already quite acidic and we added some sour cream and basil oil to give it some interest (I forgot to get pesto). This recipe would actually have been a lovely summer Gazpacho soup, served cold with some lovely roasted garlic. Mmmmmmm...
So I discussed my findings with Jet while we were driving last night, and he gave me so many options while we were talking that I felt like I should have been taking notes! He told me how to thicken it by starting with a roux and making a Tomato Velouté next time and how when I am making the roux I need to add cold liquid to hot roux to activate it and make it bind and swell to make it thick. Then he started talking about using milk instead of stock (which is how you make béchamel). Then he started talking about using rice as the thickener to make a bisque. Then he suggested that I roast the tomatoes first and make roasted tomato soup. And then I started to go into information overload.
And then he came up with a very interesting idea. Why don't I put myself through culinary school at home, using the CIA text book "The Professional Chef" as my guide? It would take me through every process, providing me instructions and recipes in a logical process. Jet would give me lessons to go with each chapter and provide me with additional information that he's gained through experience, then test me on my new techniques as I progressed. Then at the end of the book, he would give me a final exam. And with every technique and new skill, I could write about my successful (or my not-so-successful) outcomes. An interesting, and somewhat intimidating idea...
In the meantime, here's the tomato soup recipe that I used:
2 lb very ripe red tomatoes
1 to 1.5 cups chicken stock (adjust to the thickness you like)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pesto and sour cream
To skin the tomatoes, cut a cross in the base of each and dunk unto a saucepan of boiling water. Remove after 10 seconds and put in a strainer set over a large saucepan. Slip off and discard the skins and cut the tomatoes in half crosswise. Using a teaspoon, seed into the strainer them press the pulp and juice through the strainer and add to the blender. Discard the seeds. Chop the tomato halves and add to the blender.
Puree the tomatoes, in batches, if necessary, adding a little of the stock to help the process. Add the remaining stock, season to taste with salt and pepper, and transfer to the saucepan. Heat well without boiling. Serve in heated soup plates topped with a spoonful of sour cream, pesto (or basil oil) and a grilled cheese sandwich on the side.
What cheese do you use for the best grilled cheese sandwich? Everyone has a different opinion, but our friend Rick Browne, world famous for his barbecue expertise, his show on PBS, "Barbecue America" and his many books on barbecue, assures me that nothing beats a Velveeta grilled cheese sandy! I promised him I would put aside my skepticism and give it a try.
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