Roasted Tomato Soup with Chipotle Cream

1. Heat oven to 450°F. Lightly oil the bottom of a large baking dish.

2. Place the tomatoes in one layer in the baking dish with the cut side down (you may need to use more than one baking dish). Sprinkle them with salt, pepper and sugar and drizzle them with a little olive oil. Slice off the tips of the garlic cloves but leave the root end intact. Do not peel them. Distribute the garlic and thyme around the tomatoes. Bake them on the upper shelf of the oven until they are soft and their skins are loose and wrinkled, about 35 to 40 minutes. If the skins are slightly charred, so much the better for flavor.

3. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large (3 to 4-quart) pot over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook gently until they are tender, about 8 minutes.

4. Remove the tomatoes from the oven and fish out the garlic cloves and the thyme. Discard the thyme and slip off the husks of the garlic cloves. Add the tomatoes and their juices to the pot with the garlic and rice. Simmer gently for 10 minutes.

5. Puree the soup in a blender until very smooth, in batches if necessary. Rinse out the pot. For a silky smooth soup, pass it through a food mill or strainer to eliminate tiny bits of tomato skin and seeds. Add the blended soup back to the pot with enough water (about 1 cup, depending on the juiciness of tomatoes) to thin it to the consistency of heavy cream. Reheat the soup and season with more salt and pepper if necessary.

6. Stir the chopped chiles into the sour cream and float a spoonful on top of each bowl of soup.