Name: Cream of Tomato Soup with Souffléed Cheese Toasts
Yield: about 6 cups
Ingredients: 2 1/2 tablespoons butter; 1 small onion, chopped; 1 celery rib, chopped; 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil, crumbled between your fingers; Pinch of ground cloves; 2 tablespoons flour; Two 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes in puree or juice; Pinch of baking soda; 2 1/2 cups vegetable stock or water; 1 1/2 cups milk; Sea salt and freshly ground pepper; Tomato paste if needed; 1 egg, separated, or 1 egg white only; 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard; Pinch of cayenne; 1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese; 1 teaspoon minced scallion or shallot; 4 slices sandwich bread, lightly toasted

Image may contain Bowl Plant Food and Meal

Cream of Tomato Soup with Souffléed Cheese ToastsCookbook cover image courtesy of Random House

This quick soup, an American classic, makes a fine pairing with a grilled cheese sandwich or crisp romaine salad. Here the grilled cheese sandwich takes a different form—a souffléed Cheddar topping on a good piece of toasted sandwich bread. Use an organic brand of tomatoes, one that's thick with puree as well as chunks of tomato.

Recipe notes

Classic French Bouillabaisse With Rouille

This flexible recipe is all you need to bring this iconic Provençal seafood stew to your table.

Salmon With Sizzled Nut Salsa

A savory-hot salsa made with mixed nuts (like the kind dubbed cocktail nuts meant for snacking) gives roast salmon a kaleidoscope of textures and flavors.

Smothered Italian Sausage

This is what I call a fridge-eater recipe. The key here is getting a nice sear on the sausage and cooking the tomato down until it coats the sausage and vegetables well.

Dulce de Leche

Make this versatile caramel at home with our slow-simmered method using milk and sugar—or take one of two sweetened condensed milk shortcuts.

Our Favorite French Onion Soup

Caramelized onions, melty Gruyère, and a deeply savory broth deliver the kind of comfort that doesn’t need improving.

Butternut Squash–Kale Salad With Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette

Round out these autumn greens with tart pomegranate seeds, crunchy pepitas, and a shower of Parmesan.

Béchamel Sauce

This classic 15-minute sauce is your secret weapon for homemade mac and cheese, chowder, lasagna, and more.

One-Pot Chicken Thighs With Cilantro Rice and Beans

This one-pot dinner cooks chicken thighs directly on top of a bed of flavorful cilantro rice studded with black beans for a complete dinner.