Creamy Tomato Soup with Cheddar and Gruyere

I want to thank my granddaughter Ava and my favorite daughter-in-law Adrienne for this soup.  I
was asked to make a soup for Ava's "teachers appreciation lunch" and my first thought was to make one of my old reliable recipes.  I didn't think it would be a good idea to try something new (experimental) and risk Ava's entire education on a bad soup.

However, I took the risk.  This recipe is all mine and, in my opinion,  it turned out to be one of my best efforts.  I will be making this one often and it has inspired me to create the perfect grilled cheese sandwich to go with it.  It may take me a while to create that perfect sandwich, but the one I included this week is pretty darn good.  The original sandwich recipe was submitted by Sara Gretzmier to AllRecipies.com.  
---Enjoy

Creamy Tomato Soup with Cheddar and Gruyere

1.   Heat the olive oil over a medium heat in your soup pot
2. Add the shallots and sweat partially covered over a medium/high heat for about 20 minutes.*
3. Stir in the tomatoes, carrots, chicken broth, parsley and thyme.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
4. Puree’ the soup with your immersion blender, or transfer it to a food processor or blender to puree’ and return the soup to the soup pot.
5. Add the cheddar and gruyere and stir until the cheese is completely melted
6. Whisk in the sour cream and season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves, or cilantro.

*Like onions, don't rush the shallots.  The taste emerges through long gentle cooking.

Gourmet Grilled Cheese Sandwich 3 oz package cream cheese 1/2 cup lite mayonnaise  8 oz shredded Colby-Monterrey Jack cheese 1/2 medium onion, sliced 1/2 tsp minced garlic 8 slices french bread Butter or margarine                                                                     1.  In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, shredded cheese and garlic salt. Beat until smooth. 2.  In a small skillet, slowly saute" sliced onions until caramelized. 3.  Preheat a large skillet over med heat. Spread cheese mixture on 4 slices of bread, add the caramelized onions, then top with the other 4 slices of bread. 4.  Lightly butter both sides of each  sandwich.  Place sandwiches in the skillet and grill until golden brown on both sides turning once (about 4 minutes).

Soup Ingredients 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth 1 medium shallot, diced 2 lbs tomatoes, peeled and quartered 1 carrot, chopped or shredded (1/2 cup shredded equals 1 med carrot) 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley 1/2 tsp thyme 1/3 cup sour cream (lite or low fat) 4 oz cheddar cheese, chopped or shredded 4 oz gruyere cheese, chopped or shredded salt and pepper to taste cilantro or thyme to garnish