Eat My Words -- And My Roasted Garlic and Tomato Soup

“So Little Gold for So Much Work” – Gary, Blog Appetit husband, when he realized there would only be two and a half servings of soup.

I like making soup. My husband likes eating soup. Any soup product that results in less than eight servings with something left over for the freezer (the frozen soup is henceforth somewhat confusingly known as “liquid gold”) is considered unfortunate.

This soup was designed to use my “use it or lose it" veggies: a bit less than a pint of tired cherry tomatoes; two very soft large tomatoes, and a beginning-to-wrinkle red bell pepper. I decided to make a roasted garlic and tomato soup and served it with grilled cheese and avocado sandwiches made in the panini grill. There were just enough veggies for soup for two with a bit left over, which Noah, the future pastry chef, slurped down.

(By the way, this soup was very easy to make, so Gary was a bit inaccurate in his assessment of the soup-to-work ratio.)

Roasted Garlic and Tomato Soup
2-3 Servings

This recipe can be easily doubled. The roasted garlic is a predominant taste, so if you are not garlic fiends like us you may want to use significantly less.

Olive oil spray or olive oil
6-8 peeled garlic cloves, whole
Pint basket (more or less) of cherry tomatoes
2 large tomatoes, sliced in half
1 red bell pepper, seeded, cored and halved
Quart of chicken or vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup chopped fresh basil and/or parsley

Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Spray baking tray with olive oil spray or grease lightly with oil.
Spread garlic and vegetables on the tray. Large tomatoes and pepper should be cut side down. Spray or lightly grease tops of vegetables.
Roast, stirring garlic and cherry tomatoes occasionally until tomatoes and peppers are softened and blistered and the garlic is browned, about 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool a bit. Put into a large pot with any juices from the baking pan, add stock and salt and pepper. Cook over a medium heat until vegetables and garlic are cooked all the way through and are very soft.
Take off the heat and puree with an immersion hand blender or in batches in a regular blender.
Add chopped herbs and reheat. Serve topped with some fresh chopped basil or perhaps a bit of chopped ripe avocado.

Newly Minted See's and Other Good Things to Read

I've been a busy little poster and wanted to share what I've created for you over at Sugar Savvy.

My latest piece is the weekly See's Candies tasting. This week in The Chocolate Box -- See's Candies Mint Chocolate Truffle. Take a bite into my review here.

Those of you who appreciate good chocolate might also enjoy my exploration of the San Francisco Chronicle's roundup of emerging artisian chocolatiers in the Bay area. Enjoy it all with photos and ordering information but without calories here.

From things that delight to things that go boo in the night, check out the candy frights being offered for Halloween in this article. You still have time to order if liquid candy blood, gummy fingers and peppermint "battys" are on your Halloween menu.

Where the Boys Are

What's up with the Blog Appetit Boys?

Noah (aka The Future Pastry Chef) is putting together a resume to apply for a food service related job. He hopes he gets one where he gets to use a knife. He has started his sophomore year of high school. When bored he bakes. Last night it was brownies at 11 p.m. From our bed, we heard him exclaim sometime later that they were "delicious." I did wonder what kind of dreams I would have going to bed with the house full of chocolate baking smells. The only dream I remember is about running for a ferry, so I don't think the chocolate wafting upstairs gave me sweet dreams!

The older one moved into his college dorm three weeks ago and started his freshman year at what has been called the best public university in the U.S. (not that I'm proud of him or anything.) He is just 20 minutes away from home, but we all treat it like intersecting universes. He has his world, we have ours and we sometimes interconnect. We are lucky he calls us often and includes us in what's going on his life and laundry. He has taken some forays into cooking and asked for a pot and a can opener. Well, it's a start.

Noche the cat misses his special someone and is making up for it by being especially affectionate to those of us who remain at home. He is sleeping in the college boy's empty bed, but who wouldn't? With a memory foam mattress and a down comforter, its the cushiest place in the house.

Is the Normandie See's Worthy?

The Normandie was a very special ocean liner. The French Line's prestige ship combined good (Art Deco) looks and luxury appointments with top performance and was considered the greatest passenger ship of its time.

The Normandie is a dark chocolate covered buttercream candy made by See's Candies. Will it live up to the image and performance of its famous namesake? Click on over to Sugar Savvy to read my my post and rating of the Normandie.

See's The Time to Try a Maple Nut Buttercream

Life might get busy here at Blog Appetit and prevent me from posting as often I would like, but there is always time for chocolate. And for writing about See's Candies once a week. See this week's contributions to The Chocolate Box at Sugar Savvy about See's tasty Dark Chocolate Maple Nut Buttercream.

Am I Cuckoo for See's Dark Cocoanut?

Please click on over Sugar Savvy to for my latest See's Piece by Piece where I dissect See's Candies' Dark Chocolate Cocoanut (the spelling is See's, not mine). Lots of dark chocolate helps boost this candy's rating. Lots of coconut shreds do not.

See's Java Jive -- Part 2

I continue my exploration of See's Candies coffee-flavored chocolate truffles over at Sugar Savvy. The Cafe Au Lait Truffle earned my first 10! Come see the rave (no rant) here.

Eat My Words -- Meow

Hmph! Din-din. I’ll eat when I’m ready.
Attributed to Morris the Cat, 1988

I don't care what you call me, just don't call me late for dinner.

Attitude of Noche Chocolate Kramer (above).

Coffee+See's Chocolate= ????

Looking for my weekly See's Candies' post at Sugar Savvy? It was posted a bit later than normal, but you can check out if I woke up and smelled the coffee in the Cafe Hazelnut Truffle by clicking here.

A Gift of Fish (Limoncello Grilled Tuna)

My sister sent me home with a cache of frozen fish and with about a pound and a half each of fresh yellow fin tuna and her own pecan-smoked tuna.

Delta Airlines got me home too late to cook Tuesday night, but Wednesday night I grilled the fresh tuna in a limoncello marinade. It was fresh and tasty and made me think of summer in Italy. I served it with a couscous tabouli-like salad.

Limoncello Tuna

Serves 4-6

Finely chopped zest of a whole lemon
1/4 cup limoncello (Italian lemon spirit)
Juice of one large lemon
1/4 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil. Use one with a green and peppery bite if you have it. (I used a Portuguese oil.)
1/2 teaspoon dried herbes d'provence (optional)
fresh ground pepper and sea salt to taste
1 and 1/2 pounds fresh tuna or other firm fleshed fish (halibut would work nicely. PLEASE don't use Chilean Sea Bass or other endangered fish).


Combine all ingredients except the fish and mix well. Add fish and spoon marinade on top. Marinate for about a half hour, flipping the fish occasionally in the liquid.

Preheat grill, bbq or broiler and cook fish, basting with marinade, until done as desired. Note: the tuna will keep cooking after you pull it from the grill and well done tuna is extremely firm, so pull it a bit before you think it is ready.

Couscous Salad with Veggies

Serves 4-6

This is more a process than a recipe.

Cook 1 cup couscous according the package directions. (FYI - I used whole wheat for a bit more fiber)

While the couscous is cooking chop the vegetables. I used the following, feel free to improvise depending on your own tastes or what's in your fridge:

3-4 chopped scallions (green onions), white and most of green
2-3 chopped, ripe tomatoes
1/2 chopped, peeled large cucumber
1/2 chopped red bell pepper
2-3 tablespoons chopped mint
2-3 tablespoons chopped flat leaf (Italian) parsley
2-3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

White wine vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil (select a mild and fresh tasting oil, I used a French Provencal oil)
Freshly ground pepper and salt to taste

When the couscous is done cooking, break up any clumps. Mix in the vegetables and herbs. Add splashes of vinegar and oil until you have the flavor balance you like. The warm couscous will absorb much of the liquids. Add salt and pepper. Combine well. Let rest to serve at room temperature. (Or you can chill and let it warm up a bit before serving.)