With the flavors of garlic, fire roasted tomatoes, sherry and a splash of cream, this tomato soup is a little more elegant than the canned soup of our younger years. I like to serve this with a grilled cheese made of whole wheat bread, spread with pesto, and then topped with fresh tomato slices and sliced mozzarella. You can skip the pureeing step if you like your soup chunky. You can replace the sherry with extra broth if that is your preference, but we love the flavor it adds.

To make this soup #dinerdoneby9am I fully prepare the soup in the morning, refrigerate all day, then reheat just prior to serving.

-1 Tbsp butter
-1/2 onion, diced
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-2 (14.5 oz) can fire roasted tomatoes, with their juices
-2 Tbsp tomato paste
-1/4 c sherry
-2/3 c chicken or vegetable stock
-1 Tbsp brown sugar or honey
-1/2 tsp dried basil
-1/4 tsp black pepper
-1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
-1/4 c heavy cream

Melt butter in a medium pot, over medium heat. Add onion, saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, saute 1 additional minute. Add fire roasted tomatoes through red pepper flakes, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in cream. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup (or pour into a blender or food processor), then serve immediately.