Roasted Tomato, Whipped Burrata, and Basil Oil Soup

Directions

1. For the soup
2. Halve the tomatoes lengthwise and seed them. Place the halves, cut side up, on a parchment- or Silpat-lined rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle them with the 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle a little salt and pepper over. Roast in a 350° F oven for one hour. Remove from the oven and set aside.
3. Finely dice the shallots and garlic. In a 4 quart soup pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter, add the diced garlic and shallots and sauté until they soften up and become very fragrant. Stir in the 2 tablespoons of flour and then saute for another minute or two.
4. Add the chicken broth and roasted tomatoes to the pot, bring up to a boil, and then simmer the mixture for 20 minutes.
5. Let the soup cool a bit and then, in batches, purée the soup in a blender until quite smooth. During one of those batches add the two basil leaves so that they get puréed also.
6. You can certainly strain the soup into a clean pot, but I don't mind the few stray bits of tomato that might remain, so I leave it a little "rustic". In any event, return the puréed soup to a clean pot.

1. For the burrata, basil oil, and putting it all together
2. Place the basil leaves, olive oil, and salt in a blender and then blend until the mixture gets as smooth as you can get it. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth, pressing on the solids with the back of a spoon to extract all of the oil. Set aside.
3. Break up the ball of burrata and place in a mini food processor and process until light and fluffy.
4. Gently reheat the soup, ladle into serving bowls and top each with a dollop of the whipped burrata and a drizzle of the basil oil.