Scottish Rite Tomato Bisque

Ingredients

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
8 cups onion, finely diced
16 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
4 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
8 cans crushed or diced tomatoes (28-oz. cans)
4 quarts low sodium chicken broth
1 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste
1/2 cup unprocessed raw honey or to taste
4 cups heavy whipping cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
48 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade, (stacked, rolled, and thinly sliced)
Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions

In a large pot over medium heat add olive oil; cook and stir onions until translucent, 7–10 minutes.
Stir in garlic, fresh thyme, rosemary, and cayenne pepper and cook until fragrant, about 3–7 minutes. (Cooking time may be longer if using non-industry grade cooking range.)
Add tomatoes and half the chicken broth.
Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat so just a low simmer and cook 30–35 minutes.
Stir in honey.
Blend soup with a hand-held immersion blender in the pot until smooth. If you don’t have a hand-held immersion blender, blend small batches in a blender and return to pot.
Add cream into soup, whisk, and adjust the salt and honey to taste. If the soup is too thick, add more broth; if soup is too thin, continue to simmer while stirring often until slightly thickened.
Ladle into serving bowls and garnish with fresh basil.