Bloody Mary Soup With Pumpernickel Grilled Cheese Croutons Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• In a roasting pan, coat the potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and celery root in just enough extra-virgin olive oil to coat, then season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Roast the vegetables until tender and caramelized at edges, about 40 to 45 minutes.
• Puree the vegetables in batches with the stock and transfer to a soup pot. Season the soup with honey and hot sauce, to taste. Cool and store for make-ahead meal.
• To reheat: Reheat over medium heat.
• For the cheese sandwiches: Preheat the oven. On the night you want to serve the soup, arrange a cooling rack over a baking sheet and assemble 2 cheese sandwiches using 2 bread slices and 2 slices cheese per sandwich. Cube each sandwich into 9 mini-sandwiches and separate in a baking sheet providing space between each mini-sandwich. Coat the sides and tops of each sandwich with cooking spray. Bake in the hot oven until golden and cheese melts. Float a few sandwich-croutons in each bowl of the soup bowls.

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, salt, pepper and onion and cook until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the broth, diced tomatoes with their liquid, tomato sauce, Parmesan rind and 1/4 cup of the basil and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes. Remove the Parmesan rind and puree the soup with an immersion blender until smooth.
• In a small saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter. Whisk in the flour and continue to cook, whisking, until the mixture is lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the cream and cook, stirring, until thickened. Add the cream mixture to the soup and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the soup has thickened, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a medium skillet over medium heat until foamy. Place 2 of the bread slices in the skillet; top each bread slice with 2 cheese slices, 2 tablespoons of the chopped basil and another bread slice. Cook until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes per side. Cut each sandwich into 9 pieces.
• Serve the soup with the grilled cheese croutons and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup basil.