Classic Grilled Cheese + Cream of Tomato Soup

Rainy, misty, chilly days are perfect days for serving soup and a sandwich -- so this was perfect for last night's dinner. This soup is a bit more work (seed removal and then roasting the canned tomatoes after sprinkling them with brown sugar) than my usual recipe (from Great American Food without Fuss) and I am not sure it is significantly better than that recipe. But it is a good recipe and a good soup.

Like Deb, I kind of lost patience at the end and simply used my hand blender rather than strain the soup a 2nd time. Then I added the cream and -- off heat -- two tablespoons of sherry (which is a definite and welcome departure from my usual recipe).

Next time, I think I'd start with the Muir Glen Fire-roasted tomatoes and skip the roasting step. And I'd put the tomatoes through a food mill right up front rather than a strainer to get rid of the seeds. And next time I'll try the brandy option Deb suggests.

Like most soups, it has improved with time and made a fine dinner tonight as well, this time with a BLT instead of the grilled cheese sandwich.

I agree with BeckyL about the addition of some fresh herbs -- I am thinking a bit of thyme tossed in with the shallots. And basil later in the summer.

It was definitely a soup night last night and Smitten Kitchen's Cream of Tomato Soup and Classic Grilled Cheese were perfect for the evening! Classic comfort food at its best. The soup was a little time consuming in terms of seeding the tomatoes, but all of the ingredients were things I readily had on hand, so not having to hit the grocery store was a bonus. It took about an hour to get together from start of prep to finish. I can see how the soup would be easily adaptable as well -- might add some fresh herbs next time, or a pesto swirl just to change it up a bit.