Monday, June 10, 2013

Cream of Tomato Soup with Goat Cheese


June in San Diego is wishy-washy. Some days are gorgeous, but most days at least start and end with our regional June gloom and a slight chill. Not to moan, I mean, Southern California is fantastic. But I have a hard time keeping up with the weather this time of year; is it hot, or not? June just makes my head a little spinny and the inconsistency leaves me craving something comforting and constant. For comfort and consistency, soup is my go-to.

Weird that I've only written about soup twice on my blog (here and here), as I really like to make it. One of my favorite Sunday rituals is to brew my morning coffee, then throw on a pot of yum. While we snuggle under blankets to watch movies, sip coffee and laze the morning away in our jammies, veggies and broth are slowly working their magic in the Le Creuset. The smells of that week's stewy delight fill the house and by lunch time, we've got a treat. And bonus, soup is the gift that keeps on giving. It makes a quick re-heated meal, and tastes better after each day.

So many soup recipes, so little time, but Cream of Tomato with Goat Cheese is an old favorite. Flavio hates regular tomato soup. "Too sweet. Too tangy," he groans. But years ago in a French cafe we had a cream of tomato soup with chevre, we both loved it, and decided to re-create it at home. (He's right; regular tomato soup can be too acidic and overly sweet if not done right.) This tomato soup with chevre is a favorite in our house.  It's the kind of thing you'll want to anchor with a good salad, crostini, or grilled cheese. The fresh tomato and basil scream summer. The creamy goodness fights June gloom.

CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP WITH GOAT CHEESE

Start by making Ina Garten's amazing Cream of Fresh Tomato Soup. (It's Monday night and I'm too lazy to type it out here. We follow her recipe closely, except we double the garlic and go easy on the cream.)

When you're ready to serve the soup, break up and drop in about half a log (or more, depending on your cheesy preferences) of Trader Joe's Silver Goat Chevre (we like the Garlic and Herbs version). Stir until the cheese is melted into the soup. Serve hot and top soup with julienned basil leaves.

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