Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup

This was such a great soup, roasting the tomatoes gives the soup an intense tomato flavor, red pepper flakes give it a bit of a kick! I got the idea from a Bobby Flay recipe, but changed it completely to make it my own. Here is original recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_10158,00.html

and here is mine:

Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup

10 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise, seeds removed

4 T olive oil, divided

garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

5 cloves of garlic, minced

tsp sugar

3 C vegetable stock

2 T basil, chiffonade, plus extra for garnish

1/2 C heavy cream

1/2 C fat free half and half

Red pepper flakes to taste (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place tomatoes in large baking dish and drizzle with 2 T olive oil. Shake garlic powder--one shake over the whole thing. Season with sea salt and pepper. Roast for 25-30 min (I did 30 min). until the tomatoes are soft.

Heat remaining olive oil over med and saute garlic for 1-2 minutes. Add tomatoes and their juices, stock, basil and sugar. Cook for 20 minutes. Using an immersion blender blend the soup until pureed (takes a while with the tomatoes), or put the soup in the blender in batches and once smooth, add cream and 1/2 and 1/2 and cook another minute or two. I added red pepper flakes for a kick and some more salt to taste. I ladled them into bowls and topped them with a bit of shredded cheddar and fresh basil, chopped.