Heirloom Tomato Soup

When heirloom tomatoes are at their fleeting summer peak — heavy, fragrant, impossibly sweet — the kindest thing a cook can do is get out of their way. This soup is an exercise in restraint: peeled heirlooms, a whisper of elephant garlic, a reduction of sherry to deepen without distracting, and just enough half-and-half to turn it silky. It tastes purely, gloriously of tomato at its best.

Peeling the Heirlooms

A soup this refined starts with skinned tomatoes. Score a small notch at each stem, submerge the heirlooms in boiling water for a few seconds until the skins loosen, then lift them into a colander and slip the peels away. Chopped and added to the pot, the peeled flesh breaks down into a smooth, clean base with none of the tough skin or bitterness that would otherwise mar such a delicate soup. It's a small step that makes all the difference in elegance.

Sherry for Depth

The one ingredient that lifts this above a plain tomato soup is dry sherry. Poured in after the onion, garlic, and fresh tomatoes have softened, it's simmered until it reduces dramatically — concentrating its nutty depth and drawing out the tomatoes' savory side. Crushed tomatoes and stock round out the body, a low simmer melds everything, and an immersion blender blends it velvety-smooth before a final swirl of half-and-half stabilizes the soup and gives it a luxurious mouthfeel.

Jorj Morgan

Heirloom Tomato Soup

This soup features the delicate profile of elephant garlic and the concentrated sugars of hand-peeled heirloom tomatoes, finished with a stable fat infusion of half and half.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

The Tomato Foundation

• 2 pounds heirloom tomatoes, approximately 6 large
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper

The Aromatic Base

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 3 cloves elephant garlic, thinly sliced, about ¼ cup (substitute with 3 cloves regular garlic)
• 1 cup dry Sherry
• 1 quart vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

The Final

• ½ cup half and half

Method

 

The Tomato Preparation

1. Peel the tomatoes by first slicing the skin crosswise at the stem and then placing them in boiling water for just a few seconds.
2. Transfer the tomatoes to a colander and peel the skin. Cut the tomatoes into chunks.

The Aromatic Reduction

1. Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes more.
3. Pour in the sherry and continue to cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.

The Simmer and Integration

1. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and vegetable stock. Season with salt, pepper, and thyme.
2. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the soup for 20 minutes.

Blending Smooth

1. Use an immersion blender to emulsify the soup. You can also use a stand-blender or food processor to accomplish this step but cool the soup first. You don’t want hot soup in a blender!

The Cream Finish

1. Stir in the half and half.
2. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning. You can add more salt and pepper if you like, or any other herb or spice you want to flavor your soup. It’s all good!!