Stephanie Izard's Tomato-Apple Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 3 Honey Crisp or Fuji apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
• 1/2 cup tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon sambal chili paste
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 28 ounces canned whole peeled tomatoes
• 4 cups apple cider
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Warm the butter in a sturdy large soup pot, a Dutch oven works well, over medium heat until the bubbling settles down. Stir in the onion and garlic, then cook gently until they are soft and light in color, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the apples, tomato paste, sambal, and wine to the pot. Bring everything up to a boil, and keep cooking until the liquid has cooked down by half.
3. Pour in the tomatoes and cider, bring the soup back to a boil, then lower the heat so it simmers. Cook until the flavors taste rounded and blended, at least 30 minutes, and preferably an hour.
4. Puree the soup with the cream in a blender, working in batches. Pour it back into the pot, add salt and pepper to taste, and serve with grilled cheese.