[Top Chef Fakku July] Garden-fresh Tomato Basil Soup

From TCF July
(Do you see those beauties? Yeah, I got to cook with those. OMNOMNOM.)

5-6 tomatoes, diced and seeded
1/4 red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can vegetable broth
handful leaves fresh basil plus more for garnish
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 stick unsalted butter
salt and pepper to taste (I only used pepper)
sugar to taste (optional)

1)Sautee the onions and garlic, then add in the tomatoes and sautee for a bit more, just until the tomatoes are slightly roasted. Add the vegetable broth in the pot over medium heat, and simmer for about 30min or until everything is tender.

From TCF July

2) Puree the tomato mixture along with the basil leaves, leaving some extra leaves for garnish (cut into chiffonade). If you have an immersion blender, that's great since you can do it right in the pot, but I just used a regular blender. You can also strain it after you puree, but I don't mind peel and some chunks in my soup, so I don't bother doing that.

From TCF July

3) Turn the heat down to medium low, then add in the cream and butter salt, pepper, and sugar if necessary. The tomatoes I had were a bit too acidic, so I did add about one tablespoon of sugar. Stir until butter is melted. Serve in a bowl and garnish with some of the basil chiffonade and/or whole basil leaves.