While calendar says summer is officially over, here in Ottawa, the weather has been glorious and tomatoes are still ripening on the vine. The farmers market stalls, once I waded through the piles of pumpkins, were overflowing with plum and heirloom tomatoes this week.

I have updated a comforting childhood classic, tomato soup with grilled cheese, by giving the soup a kick of heat with chipotle peppers in adobo and turning the grilled cheese into croutons. A drizzle of basil oil makes for a very beautiful bowl of soup.

Start with roasting tomatoes, shallots and garlic in the oven. No need to peel the tomatoes or garlic. It’s easy to slip the peels off once everything is roasted. Tuck the garlic under the tomatoes to protect the papery skin from burning.

Once the veggies are roasted, tip everything into the blender and puree until smooth. This is the time to add the spice. Chipotle Peppers in Adobo sauce, are jalapeño chiles that have been dried, smoked and packed in a flavourful sauce made from tangy tomatoes and spices. They are sold in a small tin and are readily available in most supermarkets.

Each tin contains about 10-12 peppers, way more than you will need for this recipe. Here is how I store the leftovers. My heat tolerance is fairly low, so I like to remove the seeds from the peppers. Working over a bowl, gently open each pepper and, using your fingers, slide out the seeds and discard. Place deseeded peppers and sauce from the tin into a food processor. Process until smooth. Spread puree out on a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze until solid. Break puree into a few pieces and freeze in zip loc bag. It will keep in the freezer for a few months. Just break off a little piece as needed.

Here are some other ways to use up the chipotle in adobo:

• Chipotle Honey Chicken Tacos
• Squash Fries with Chipotle Mayo
• Mediterranean Chicken Sandwich
• Grilled Glazed Salmon

The roasted veggies make quite a thick puree. Thin it out with a bit of vegetable stock and some 35% cream. As a finishing touch, I like to add a squeeze of honey and a splash of sherry wine vinegar to wake everything up.

It’s not difficult to make a mediocre grilled cheese sandwich, but for an outstanding version, follow these rules:

• Rather than adding butter to the pan, butter the outside of each slice of bread.
• Use a cast iron pan if you have it, for perfect browning.
• Use medium or old cheddar for best flavour.
• Cook on low heat and cover pan to assist in melting the cheese.

I used a serrated knife to cut my sandwiches into adorable little croutons and finished the soup off with a drizzle of basil oil.

Basil oil is simple to make. Puree basil, a bit of spinach (helps keep the green colour) and a neutral oil. Strain for a clear smooth oil. It will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks. If you don’t want to bother making the basil oil, just finish the soup with some chopped fresh basil.

Click here to print recipe for Roasted Tomato-Chipotle Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons.