Summer's Last Hurrah

Roasted Tomato, Pepper, and Garlic Bisque
I absolutely love going to St. Louis to work. It's a cool city with a great arts scene, some awesome food, and amazing people. But I unfortunately miss out on the best part of summer in Oregon. Late August and early September are a gardener's prime time when the tomatoes are abundant and sweet and the berries are plentiful. While I did miss out on blackberry canning this year, I did come home to find lots and lots of healthy red tomatoes still on the vine. Fall is definitely in the air, but there is still some great produce around to help us transition into the cooler weather and shorter days. This soup recipe is incredibly easy, tasty, and makes great use of garden tomatoes and fragrant herbs. I served it with grilled cheese sandwiches for a simple meal cuddled on the couch with my sweetie on a crisp fall evening. Use those tomatoes . . . you won't have anything that tastes as good until next summer!

Ingredients
- 4 lbs. garden tomatoes, quartered
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 2" chunks
- 2 heads of garlic, the top 1/4" trimmed off to expose the tips of the individual cloves
- 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano
- 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- salt and pepper 
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1 c. chicken broth
- 1 c. heavy cream

Heat the oven to 425˚ F and place heads of garlic (trimmed side up) on a square of foil. Drizzle with 1 Tbsp. of olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Wrap garlic tightly in foil and place in oven to roast. (Allow the garlic to get a head-start on the roasting for about 20 minutes before roasting the tomatoes and peppers.) While garlic roasts, line a heavy rimmed baking sheet with foil and spritz with cooking spray, quarter tomatoes and seed and slice peppers. Spread vegetables evenly on tray and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and chopped fresh herbs. Drizzle with remaining olive oil. 

 After the garlic has roasted for about 20 minutes, place the tray of tomatoes into the oven to roast for an additional 20-30 minutes. Check occasionally - the finished tomatoes and peppers should be lightly browned, soft, and have yielded their juices. The garlic cloves should be brown and fragrant. Remove tray and garlic packet from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before handling.

Once the roasted vegetables have cooled, scrape the tomatoes, peppers, all their juices, and any browned bits into a heavy sauce pan. Squeeze individual garlic cloves into the tomato mixture and discard the papery skin. Add chicken broth and sugar to tomato mixture and heat over medium-high. Simmer soup for about 10 minutes then remove from heat, puree in a blender or with an immersion blender until it is smooth and creamy. Return to low heat and slowly stir in cream. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper. (If the soup is too thick, you can thin it out to your liking with a little additional cream or broth.) Serve with grilled cheese sandwiches, croutons, or crusty bread! Yum!