The First: Smoked Heirloom Tomato Soup

[This post originally published 1/1/14 on whatmylovecooks.wordpress.com]

The very first recipe comes from a dish we served for our last dinner service of 2013. Coincidentally, it is also the first course we will serve for our first dinner service of 2014 in just a couple of days. Here is Chef Aaron's Smoked Heirloom Tomato Soup w/ Lemony Ricotta recipe for you all to try. Remember nothing turns out great without practice! This is what my Love cooks...

- Jin

Serves 4-6
1.5 hrs prep and cook

Ingredients:
4 large heirloom tomatoes
5 cloves of garlic minced
1 medium sweet onion
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
8 oz. can of organic low sodium chopped tomatoes (Chef loves Italian varieties the best)
3 cups of heavy cream
Extra virgin olive oil
Course sea salt
Fresh cracked pepper

Lemony Ricotta Ingredients:
8-12 oz container of ricotta cheese
1 lemon
Dried lemon peel

Additional items:
Wood or wood chips for smoking (Chef likes applewood for this recipe but encourages everyone to experiment)

To start, cut tomatoes in half and place flesh side up in a pan for the smoker. Season the tomatoes with minced garlic, salt, pepper, and paprika. Using your wood of choice, smoke the tomatoes at a low heat for approximately one hour.

When the tomatoes are smoked, chop the onion and use extra virgin olive oil to sauté the chopped onion and smoked tomatoes in a small stock pot. Add fresh thyme sprigs with some salt and pepper to taste. Remember how many sprigs you use for when you need to remove them later. Cook the tomatoes until they are soft.

Reduce heat and add the can of organic chopped tomatoes. You can also add a little pinch of paprika. Slowly bring the tomatoes to a simmer while stirring.

Add the heavy cream and bring to a boil then immediately reduce to a simmer. Let the mixture simmer for 10-15 minutes. This will reduce the cream and increases the richness of the soup. Taste the mixture and add salt and pepper as needed.

While the soup simmers, combine ricotta cheese in a mixing bowl with lemon zest, 1 teaspoon dried lemon peel, 1 teaspoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Mix well with a spoon and refrigerate the ricotta until the soup is finished.

After 10-15 of simmering, remove the sprigs of thyme from the soup then purée the creamy tomato mixture in a blender. Next, strain the soup through a course strainer. Soup should be smooth but with a fluffy texture.

To serve, garnish the soup with a quenelle (Google it and explore) of the lemony ricotta mixture. Chef added a little balsamic reduction and fresh herbs on top of the soup for looks but it also helps with taste. He says a dash of sherry vinegar and fresh parsley works great, too.

Tips:
This is your dish! Show it who is boss and make it yours! Add fresh chives, parsley, or croutons at the end or even a little grated cheese on top!

A Gruyere grilled cheese on multigrain bread helps soak up the delicious soup. Any bread and cheese for that matter!

Make sure to not grill the tomatoes while smoking them. You're trying to impart a smoked flavor without cooking the tomatoes too much.

Now you try it and let us know how it goes! Contact us with any questions or suggestions! Your feedback is appreciated greatly!

Louis Kingsley Catering

Happy New Year, everyone!