Roasted Tomato Bisque with Blue Cheese Croutons

Preheat your oven to 425 F. Evenly divide the tomatoes, carrots, onion, and garlic between two rimmed baking pans. Season with the salt and pepper and drizzle with the olive oil. Bake for about 30 minutes or a bit longer, tossing a few times as they cook. When finished, the tomatoes will burst open and the other vegetables will soften.

Remove pans from the oven and allow the vegetables to cool slightly. Carefully peel the skins from the garlic.

Add the vegetables into a Dutch oven or large pot. Pour in the vegetable broth and water, along with the thyme, rosemary and red pepper flakes.

Heat the mixture to medium-high for several minutes without bringing it to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer and allow it to simmer for about 10 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat. Use an immersion blender to carefully blend the hot mixture while in the pot. Blend to your desired consistency. If you do not have an immersion blender, you can transfer the mixture in batches to a standard blender and carefully blend, then return the mixture to the pot.

Add the half-and-half to the mixture and stir. Turn the heat to a low temperature, just high enough to warm the mixture through for 3-5 minutes.

Taste the bisque. If it seems too sweet, drizzle a bit of balsamic vinegar into the mixture and stir.

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Place the bread slices on a baking sheet and brush them lightly with butter. Spread the blue cheese over the bread slices and bake for 3-5 minutes, or until the bread turns lightly golden. Remove from the oven and serve with the bisque.