Cream of Tomato Soup with Grilled Camembert and Blue Cheese Sandwiches

I don't know what else to say besides MAKE THIS! Seriously so yummy and perfect for a chilly evening spent at home.

For the soup:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup red wine
28oz can whole tomatoes, drained
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp pepper
Pinch of salt
2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk

Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat then add onions, celery, basil, thyme, and garlic. When onions are tender add red wine to de-glaze the pan. Toss in tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, worcestershire, salt and pepper then cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add chicken broth then bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 5-10 minutes stirring occasionally. Partially puree using a immersion blender (I like this soup to be a little more rustic in texture.) Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook gently for 2 minutes. Add milk and whisk until thick, smooth, and bubbling. Whisk into tomato puree. Add additional salt & pepper to taste.

For the sandwiches:

1 chewy (sourdough is perfect) baguette, sliced diagonally about 1/2" thick
Camembert
Blue cheese, crumbled
Butter

Butter one side of each piece of bread. Build mini sandwiches with 1 slice of bread, a slice of camembert, and a few crumbles of blue cheese. Toss into a non-stick frying pan and cook over med heat until brown and crispy, flipping once.

You can serve the sandwiches on the side or cut up as fancy soup croutons. So delish!