Rob Feenie's Tomato Gin Soup

4 lb    roma tomatoes
10 ml    salt
5 ml    pepper
10 g    fresh thyme – leaves picked and minced
10 g    fresh oregano – minced

1 L    vegetable or chicken stock
20 g    fresh sage – leaves picked and minced
20 g    fresh thyme – leaves picked and minced

15 ml    butter
250 ml    gin
10 ml    salt
5 ml    pepper
40 g    fresh basil – whole leaves

125 ml    crème fraiche (recipe below)
8 pieces parmesan tuille (recipe below)
30 ml    extra virgin olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. Wash roma tomatoes, cut in half and place in a bowl. Generously season with salt, pepper, fresh thyme and oregano, and toss together until well combined. Lay tomatoes cut side up on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast for approximately 3 hours or until most of the moisture is lost (tomatoes should have shrunken in size and look wrinkly).
3. Transfer tomatoes into a soup pot and add vegetable or chicken stock. Bring soup to a boil and add sage and thyme. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for approximately 1 hour.
4. In a separate pot, add butter and place on medium heat. Add gin and heat together. Apply a flame to ignite the gin and allow for all the alcohol to evaporate, approximately 2 minutes. Add the gin to the rest of the soup.
5. Bring soup to a boil again and add basil leaves. Remove from heat and blend soup in batches until smooth. Transfer soup back into a large soup pot, taste, and re-season with salt and pepper if necessary.
6. To serve, divide soup into bowls and top with a dollop of crème fraiche and a parmesan tuille. Drizzle lightly with extra virgin olive oil and serve.

Crème Fraiche
500 ml     buttermilk
500 ml     whipping cream
1. Place buttermilk and whipping cream in a pot over medium-high heat and bring almost to a boil.
2. Remove from heat right before the boiling point and leave at room temperature for 24 hours. After 24 hours it should have a “sour cream like” texture. Leave aside.

Parmesan Tuille
500 ml     parmesan cheese – grated
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lay parmesan cheese evenly in a circular pattern on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
3. Bake in oven for approximately 5 minutes or until golden brown.
4. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Snap parmesan into small pieces and leave aside.