Oven-Roasted Tomato & Garlic Soup
Yield:8 servings
Level: Easy
Ingredients
Oven Roasted Tomatoes:
4 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons pure olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Garlic Chips:
1 cup pure olive oil
8 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced paper thin
Tomato Soup:
2 tablespoons pure olive oil
1 medium Spanish onion, chopped
1/2 cup white wine
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups canned plum tomatoes
6 roasted garlic cloves
Oven roasted tomatoes
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon honey
Salt and white pepper
Directions
Oven Roasted Tomatoes:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Place the tomatoes cut-side up on a baking sheet. Combine the garlic and olive oil and brush the tomatoes with it, then season to taste with the salt and pepper. Roast until dried and soft, about 8 hours.
Garlic Chips:
Heat oil in a medium skillet until the oil begins to simmer. Add the garlic and cook until the slices begin to brown and curl. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
Tomato Soup:
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until it begins to smoke and saute the onions until golden. Add the wine, raise the heat to high, and reduce until almost dry. Add the stock, canned tomatoes, roasted garlic and roasted tomatoes and reduce by one-quarter.
Puree the mixture in a food processor and pour into a large pot. Add the thyme, honey and salt and pepper to taste and set aside until just before serving time. Reheat over medium heat and pour into a large serving bowl. Garnish with garlic chips.

Maxwell’s Carrot, pecan nut and lavender cupcakes











5 Eggs
400gsugar
250ml oil
325g flour
10ml cinnamon
Pinch of salt
350g grated carrots
1 banana, mashed
100g pecan nuts, roughly chopped
5g bicarb
7.5g baking powder






Icing:
45g soft butter
225g icing sugar
100g cream cheese
Zest of 1 lemon
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Dried lavender flowers, crumbled
Method:
- Beat the eggs and sugar until light, pale and fluffy
- Slowly add the oil to the egg mixture and beat well
- Sift all the dry ingredients together and fold it into the egg mixture
- Fold in the carrots, ½ of the pecan nuts and banana
- Bake at 180 degrees C until a skewer comes out cleanly when inserted into the cake.
For the icing: beat the butter and sugar together. Add the cream cheese, zest and vanilla. Ice the cake and sprinkle with the chopped pecan nuts and lavender