Smoky Tomato Soup With Gruyere Toasts - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, cut into 1/4 inch dice
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika
3 1/2 lbs tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup water
1 thyme, sprig
1 bay leaf
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
8 baguette, slices cut 1/4 inch thick on the bias
2 ounces gruyere cheese, coarsely grated, about 3/4 C

Preparation

In a soup pot, melt the butter in the oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook over medium-high heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the paprika and cook until it gets fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, water, thyme and bay leaf, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until the tomatoes start breaking down, about 15 minutes. Discard the thyme sprig and bay leaf.
Preheat the broiler. In a blender, puree the soup in batches. Strain the soup back into the pot - pressing on the solids (use a strainer with larger holes. This just separates out the bits of tomato skin/seeds that didn't blend.) Stir in the cream and season with salt and pepper again, to taste.
Meanwhile, put the baguette slices on a baking sheet and broil 6 inches away from the heat until lightly toasted on both sides, about 2 minutes total. top the toasts with the Gruyere and broil for about 30 seconds more, until the cheese gets bubbly.
ladle the soup into bowls and serve with the Gruyere toasts. Enjoy!