Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Roasting is the secret here. A hot oven drives off water from the tomatoes and browns their edges, concentrating the flavor until the soup tastes like late summer even in October. Onion, red bell pepper and whole garlic cloves roast right alongside, so there is nothing to saute.

Everything gets scraped into a pot, simmered briefly with broth, then blended with a big handful of fresh basil. A half cup of cream rounds out the acidity without muting the bright tomato flavor.

This is the soup that grilled cheese was invented for. Top each bowl with parmesan and a drizzle of good olive oil, then dunk away.