Roasted Tomato Bisque with Grilled Cheese Skewers

Soup:

10-12 large ripe field tomatoes, quartered (4.5 lbs/2 kg)

1 head garlic, peeled (1)

¼ cup canola oil, divided (60 mL)

1 large yellow onion, diced (1)

1 stalk celery, diced (1)

1 medium carrot, diced (1)

8 sprigs fresh thyme (8)

1 tsp dried oregano (5 mL)

½ tsp salt (2 mL)

¼ tsp pepper (1 mL)

4 cups no-salt added vegetable broth (1L)

3 cups fresh basil (750 mL)

2 Tbsp tomato paste (30 mL)

1 Tbsp maple syrup (15 mL)

1/3 cup 18% table cream (75 mL)

Grilled Cheese Skewers:

4 slices of light rye (4)

1/2 cup of shredded cheese - cheddar or gruyere (125 mL)

2 tsp Dijon mustard (10 mL)

1 Tbsp canola oil (15 mL)
Soup:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
2. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, place tomato wedges and garlic and toss with 2 Tbsp (30 mL) canola oil. Cook for 45 -60 minutes or until tomatoes are slightly caramelized.
3. In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add 2 Tbsp (30 mL) canola oil. Once oil is hot add onion, celery and carrot. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, until onions begin to brown and celery and carrot begin to soften. Add thyme, oregano, salt and pepper and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add in roasted tomatoes and garlic, vegetable broth, tomato paste and basil. Stir to combine.
4. Bring to a boil, and reduce to simmer, uncovered for 35-40 minutes. Discard thyme stems.
5. In batches, in a high-speed blender or with a hand-held immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. Stir in maple syrup and cream.
Grilled Cheese Skewers:
1. Brush one side of each of the four pieces of bread with canola oil.
2. In a large non-stick skillet on medium-high heat, add two pieces of bread, oil side down to the pan. Add 1 tsp (5 mL) of Dijon mustard to the non-oiled side and spread across top of bread. Add 1/4 cup (60 mL) of shredded cheese to the two slices in the pan.
3. Top with remaining slices of bread, oil side up. Reduce heat to medium.
4. Once cheese has begun to melt, flip sandwich. Grill for another 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from heat, slice each sandwich diagonally into 4-6 triangles. Add ½ of sandwich to one bamboo skewer, repeat with other half.
5. Serve soup in a bowl with one grilled cheese skewer.
Note: Add remaining soup to a large freezer bag and freeze up to one month.