Serving Size: 4 - 6

Ingredients:

Tomato soup

• 1 tbsp canola oil

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 4 garlic cloves, chopped

• 1 small fresh jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded and minced

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 1 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes, drained

• 1 quart store-bought low-sodium stock

• 1/2 cup light sour cream, plus 2 tablespoons, for garnish

• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice

• 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Grilled cheese croutons

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

• 4 slices white bread or potato bread

• 4 oz sharp white cheddar, cut into slices

Method:

For the soup: Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; add the onion, garlic, jalapeño, salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the tomatoes are soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Whisk in the sour cream and the lime juice and turn off the heat. Blend the soup until smooth with an immersion blender or a regular blender (if using a regular blender, wait for the soup to cool a bit, then hold the blender lid on with a kitchen towel while you puree). Return the soup to the heat on low; don’t let the soup boil, or it will curdle.

For the croutons: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Butter 2 of the bread slices on one side and place 1 slice in the pan, buttered side down. Add enough slices of cheese to cover the bread evenly, then top with the second slice of bread, buttered side up. Brown until golden, 2 to 3 minutes, then flip over to brown the other side. Remove the sandwich from the pan and let it cool. Repeat with the remaining 2 bread slices and the cheese. Cut the cheese sandwiches into quarters and cut each quarter into quarters again to make cubes 1- to 2-inches wide. Pile all the croutons onto a serving platter.

Ladle the soup into serving bowls and garnish each bowl with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Set the platter of croutons where everyone can reach.

TWIST IT

Cilantro croutons: Sprinkle a few whole cilantro leaves — no stems — on top of the cheese before you cover it with the second slice of bread. When you cut the croutons, you’ll see a subtle ribbon of green running through the centre.

Source: (Via Babble.com)

“American Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons” from Cat Cora’s Classics with a Twist by Cat Cora. Copyright ©2010 by Cat Cora. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.