Rich and Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

"The secret to the richness of this soup is to use real butter, fresh basil leaves, and heavy cream. Please do not substitute, or you will not have the same high quality end result."

RECIPE RATING: 4.5 on Allrecipes.com
PREP TIME
10 Min
COOK TIME
35 Min
READY IN
45 Min
4-6: Servings

Ingredients:
4 tomatoes - peeled, seeded and diced
(Note: for easy peeling, drop in boiling water for about 5 seconds. The skin comes right off)
4 cups tomato juice
14 leaves fresh basil
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup butter
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Place tomatoes and juice in a stock pot over medium heat. Simmer for 30 minutes. Puree the tomato mixture along with the basil leaves, and return the puree to the stock pot.
Place the pot over medium heat, and stir in the heavy cream and butter. Season with salt and pepper. Heat, stirring until the butter is melted. Do not boil.