Tomato Soup With Cognac And Orange - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
2 tablespoons honey
4 whole cloves
4 lbs fresh tomatoes, ripe, cored and coarsely chopped
1 orange, juice and zest of
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup heavy cream (whipping cream)
3 tablespoons cognac, best quality

Preparation

Spray a 5-qt heavy soup pot with nonstick cooking spray. In it, melt butter over medium heat and add onion. Saute until it starts to softened, about 3 minutes. Turn heat down slightly and add garlic, basil, honey and cloves. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
Add tomatoes and raise heat to medium-high. Cook to evaporate moisture, stirring constantly, 5 to 10 minutes. Add orange zest. Lower heat and simmer about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove pot from heat. Let cool slightly, pick out the cloves and add the orange juice. Process in batches in a food processor. Put the puree through a food mill or strainer.
Return puree to soup pot. Reheat over medium-low heat, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper and stir in tomato paste.
When soup is hot, just before serving, stir in cream and cognac-DO NOT BOIL!
Serve at once, garnished with sour cream if desired.