Tomato Fennel Soup With Brie Toasts Recipes

TOMATO-FENNEL SOUP WITH BRIE TOASTS

Steps:

• Melt 6 tablespoons butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add fennel, onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Toss to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low. Partly cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in garlic and chile powder; cook 1 minute. Stir in Pernod and cook until almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes.
• Pour in tomatoes, 1 1/2 cups water and the stock. Bring to a simmer and cook gently, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and the black pepper. Purée soup in batches using a blender or immersion blender until smooth.
• Transfer soup back to pot over medium heat; simmer until slightly thickened, 5 to 10 minutes more. Scrape down sides and bottom of pot occasionally. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread bread slices on a large baking sheet. Bake until light golden, about 10 minutes.
• Toast fennel seeds in a small skillet over medium heat until fragrant and lightly colored, 2 to 3 minutes. Melt in remaining 1 tablespoon butter.
• Adjust oven temperature to broil and position rack 6 inches from heat. Brush toasts with fennel-seed butter and top with Brie. Return to oven and broil until bubbly and golden, 1 to 3 minutes (check every minute or so to see that they are not burning). Ladle soup into bowls and top with a cheese crouton. Garnish with fennel fronds.

FRESH TOMATO SOUP WITH CRISPY CHEESE TOAST

Steps:

• Remove cores from tomatoes and cut in half crosswise. Reserve until needed.
• Heat olive oil and butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and anchovy and cook until garlic is sizzling in the hot fat, 45 seconds to 1 minute. Carefully add the tomatoes with their juices, salt, and red pepper flakes. Toss with a spoon every few minutes until the tomatoes release their liquid and start to break down.
• Once the tomatoes have softened and start to collapse, reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have fallen apart and the soup resembles a coarse tomato sauce, about 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with foil or a silicone liner. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
• Place the bread slices on the prepared baking sheet. Top each slice with sliced basil, and then Cheddar cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is well browned and crispy around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
• Remove soup from heat and pass through a mesh strainer into a bowl. Use the back of a ladle to push all the tomato mixture through. Discard the skins and seeds, which should be the only things left in the strainer.
• Transfer the strained tomato soup back into the saucepan and place back over medium-low heat. Continue cooking to thicken slightly, if desired, or simply bring back to a simmer and serve immediately with the cheese toasts.

TOMATO-FENNEL SOUP

Steps:

• In 4-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Cook fennel, onion and garlic in oil about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender. Stir in tomatoes, broth, salt and pepper, breaking up tomatoes with spoon. Heat to boiling.
• Reduce heat. Cover; simmer 20 to 25 minutes or until vegetables are soft.
• Carefully pour half of the mixture into blender. Cover; blend on high speed about 30 seconds or until smooth. Return to saucepan. Repeat with remaining mixture. Keep warm over low heat until serving.

TOMATO FENNEL SOUP

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook and stir fennel, onion, celery, and garlic in the hot oil until tender, about 10 minutes.
• Pour tomatoes and chicken broth over vegetable mixture and simmer for 4 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and add basil and parsley. Cool soup slightly.
• Pour soup into a blender no more than half-full. Cover and hold lid down; pulse a few times before leaving on to blend. Puree in batches until smooth.

ROASTED TOMATO AND FENNEL SOUP

Steps:

• Core tomatoes and cut in half lengthwise; arrange, cut side up, on foil lined rimmed baking sheet.
• In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of the oil, garlic and half each of the salt and pepper; brush over tomatoes.
• Bake in 350°F oven until softened and shriveled and bottoms are browned, about 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, trim fronds from fennel bulb and reserve; cut off stalks and discard.
• Cut fennel in half lengthwise.
• Trim out and discard core; cut fennel into 1/2 inch cubes.
• In large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil over medium heat; cook fennel, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 8 minutes.
• Add 1 1/2 cups water; reduce heat, cover and simmer until very tender, about 20 minutes.
• Pour into bowl.
• Add 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil into pan; cook onion over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add tomatoes and stock; bring to boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Transfer tomato mixture to blender or food processor; puree until smooth.
• Return to pan.
• Stir in cooked fennel, basil and remaining salt and pepper.
• (Make ahead: let cool and refrigerate in airtight container for up to 2 days.) Heat until steaming, about 5 minutes.
• In bowl, whisk vinegar with remaining oil.
• Ladle soup into bowls; garnish with drizzle of vinegar mixture.
• Arrange reserved fronds over top.

LEEK SOUP WITH BRIE TOASTS

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, saute the leeks, mushrooms, tarragon and pepper in 2 tablespoons butter for 8-10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in flour until blended; gradually add broth and cream. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. , Place bread slices on an ungreased baking sheet. Broil 3-4 in. from the heat for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown. Spread one side of each slice with 1/2 teaspoon butter. Place Brie on buttered side of toasts. , Broil 3-4 in. from the heat for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Ladle soup into six 8-oz. bowls; place two toasts in each bowl.