A New Twist On An Old Classic

All this cold, rainy weather lately has me wishin’ I was sittin’ by a fire at La Madeleine…eating some tomato basil soup & and a sandwich.  Tomato Basil Soup sounded SO good the other day that I just had to have it!!!  However, I doubted that the other La Madeleine patrons wanted to be entertained by screaming kids & crying babies, so I made my own little version at home…along with the BEST grilled cheese sandwich.  But this is no ordinary grilled cheese…it’s ITALIAN grilled cheese!!  The perfect companion to Tomato Basil Soup.  You gotta try it!!!

Tomato Basil Soup

{ALMOST as good as La Madeleine!}

4 cups tomato juice

4 tomatoes…peeled, diced, & seeded

14 leaves of basil

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup {1 stick} butter

***TeamCarroll4 version:  The thought of peeling, dicing, & de-seeding tomatoes didn’t sound appealing, so I used 2 cans of diced tomatoes.  Seriously…this is DELICIOUS.  I can’t believe how similar it tastes to the La Madeleine version!!!  One big difference is the consistency.  It’s not as thick & chunky.  Any ideas on how I can make it thicker???***

In a large pot, mix together tomato juice & diced tomatoes. 

Simmer for 30 minutes on medium heat.  Remove tomato mix from pot, transfer to blender, and puree with basil. 

Return tomato/basil mix to pot and stir in cream & butter. {I cut my butter into little slices so that it would melt faster.} 

Heat soup mixture through until butter melts.  Do not boil.  Stir often & serve while warm.  AMAZING!!!!

 

While your soup is warming up, start makin’ your sandwiches!!

 

Italian Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Italian Dressing

Italian Bread, sliced

1 tomato slice

3 basil leaves

1 slice of provolone cheese, cut into 4ths

***TeamCarroll4 version:  I use Wish Bone because I think it’s the yummiest.  Each of these ingredients is the amount per serving/sandwich.  Use as much or little as you’d like on your own!  You can’t screw this up!!!***

Instead of buttering your bread like a traditional grilled cheese sandwich, you’ll evenly spread Italian dressing on one side of each slice of bread.

Place your italian dressed slice of bread face down on your griddle or skillet & start assembling your sandwich!  Here’s how I do it….FIRST, I put on 3 basil leaves.  THEN I cover with provolone cheese & top with a slice of tomato. 

 

Cover with the other italian dressed slice of bread & grill!! 

 

Make sure your skillet/griddle is sprayed with non-stick cooking spray before cooking.  The italian dressing tends to “stick” just a little!!  The sandwich will be hot & gooey…and OH SO GOOD!!!!!

C’mon y’all.  Does this not look AMAZING?!?!?  Trust me…IT IS!!!!  The PERFECT dinner on a cold, rainy night!!!!  La Madeleine ain’t got nothin’ on me!!!  HA!!!