The glowing scarlet tomato soup of my youth served mainly as a dipping sauce for grilled cheese, and that's the way it should be. The Campbell's variety, paired with white bread and American cheese, was my introduction to comfort food. It was also the first meal I learned how to "cook" myself, speckling my mother's kitchen with red splotches and burnt breadcrumbs. It was, and always will be, a perfect childhood meal.
When I prepared a can I found tucked into my family's pantry one recent holiday, I felt betrayed. The soup tasted like diluted runoff liquid from chopped tomatoes, and we won't speak of the smell.
Since I have no passed-down family recipe, the only kind that seems to exist for from-scratch tomato soup, I adapted one from someone else's grandmother. After making it many times, I've disregarded some of the instructions, but this recipe gets two things unforgettably correct: The perfect tomato soup fully embraces its central ingredient, and, crucially, it should only be made when the absolute best tomatoes are available. That time, roughly, is right now, when absurdly buxom tomatoes are spilling out of bins at local markets (and, if you're lucky, your neighbor's backyard).
Finally, you must once more resist the urges of your childhood and leave the soup thick and chunky. You want the last bits of tomato to melt in your mouth, not in the pan. There will still be plenty of liquid -- which, by the way, is pretty fantastic sopped up with a good grilled cheese.
Tomato Soup
3 tablespoons butter
4 to 5 medium ripe tomatoes, halved
Flaky salt and ground black pepper
1/3 cup cream
1 large sprig of rosemary or thyme, optional
Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When it melts, add the tomatoes, cut side down, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the tomatoes have released most their juices (but aren't charred), 10 to 15 minutes. Turn the tomatoes over and cook until they begin to break down, 5 to 7 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat. After 30 seconds, add the cream and stir, scraping the bottom of the pot as you go. Use the spoon to break down the tomatoes to a chunky but spoonable consistency. Add the thyme or rosemary sprig, if desired. Taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve warm. (Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a few days.)
Makes 3 servings.
Food on 09/03/2014