Roasted Tomato Soup with Heart Shaped Bacon

I made this adorable heart themed meal for Valentine’s Day. Roasted tomato soup and grilled cheese is a classic meal that is perfect for a cold winter day. To make the meal special for Valentine’s Day, I added heart shaped garnishes made of bacon and cheese. Charles has bragged to his friends about the bacon hearts. Bacon hearts are a very easy way to impress a guy.

• You will need:
• 2 pounds fresh Tomatoes (I used plum and heirloom)
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• 1 1/2 cup Chicken Broth
• 1/2 cup Cream

Step 1:

The first step is to roast the tomatoes. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Wash, core and cut the tomatoes in half. Place the tomatoes and garlic on a baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil over. Then generously salt and pepper. Roast for 30-40 minutes until caramelized and soft.

Step 2:

Place the roasted tomatoes, garlic and butter in a stock pot. Use a potato masher to mash the tomatoes and garlic. Then add the chicken stock and let simmer and reduce for 15-20 minutes.

Step 3:

Strain the soup to remove any seeds.

*I had done these steps, and then placed the roasted tomato purée in my freezer. On Valentine’s Day I only had to finish making the soup. This would be a great way to use up surplus tomatoes from your garden if you are a gardener.

Step 4:

Return the strained soup to the pot. Heat over low and add the cream. Add salt and pepper to taste.

The garnishes:

Making the garnishes was simple. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place aluminum foil over a baking sheet. Arrange the bacon in a heart shape. Then take shredded cheddar and arrange it on a heart shape. You need to use a very generous amount of cheddar otherwise the cheese crisp will break. The bacon needs 30 minutes to bake and the cheese crisps take about 20 minutes.

We both crushed our garnishes into the soup – which added great flavor, and a nice crunch.