Tomato Soup

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. Cut the top off of the garlic heads to expose the garlic. Place the garlic in aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap up the garlic heads in the aluminum foil.

3. Add tomatoes to a rimmed sheet pan, along with the wrapped up garlic. Drizzle olive oil over tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Roast in preheated oven 45 minutes.

4. While the tomatoes roast, make the croutons (for the topping/garnish on the soup). Cut up 2 slices of sourdough bread into cubes. Place on rimmed quarter sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake in 375F oven for 15-20 minutes, stirring halfway through to help the croutons brown evenly.

5. Once the tomatoes and garlic are done roasting, add the roasted tomatoes to a large pot, along with the vegetable broth and fresh basil. Squeeze the roasted garlic out by gently pressing on the root end where it was attached. The soft roasted garlic should slide right out. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. If you do not have an immersion blender, you can use a large blender. Just allow the roasted tomatoes to cool slightly before blending.

6. Reheat soup on stovetop if needed.

7. To serve, ladle soup into bowls, then drizzle a circle of olive oil and heavy cream over top of the soup. Add a few homemade croutons and a few fresh basil leaves. Serve with grilled cheese, if desired.

Grilled Cheese

1. Roast garlic. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. Cut the top off of the garlic heads to expose the garlic. Place the garlic in aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap up the garlic heads in the aluminum foil.

3. Roast in oven for 45 minutes.

4. Make the roasted garlic butter. In a medium size bowl, squeeze the roasted garlic out by gently pressing on the root end where it was attached. The soft roasted garlic should slide right out. Add butter and parsley. Stir to combine.

5. Spread butter mixture over one side of each slice of bread.

6. Heat ½ tablespoon olive oil and ½ tablespoon unsalted butter in large skillet over medium-low heat. Add bread, butter side down. Add cheese on top, then top with top slice of bread, butter side up. Cook until light golden brown, then flip and cook until other side is light golden brown. Repeat with remaining sandwiches. You will have 4 sandwiches, total.

7. Serve warm, with tomato soup if desired.