Sweet Red Pepper Soup

This year for Thanksgiving we were invited to my boyfriend's parent's house. When I asked what I could contribute to the dinner they told me to bring my Sweet Red Pepper Soup. I was happy to be able to make something I'm good at making. As always it was well received. Everyone loves it! It's very time consuming to make but worth every last lick from the bowl. My friend Charlotte came over to help me make the double batch of soup that I thought would be just enough to feed 20 people. Plus Charlotte wanted to learn how to make it herself. While chopping the onions I teared up so much that mascara was running down my face and while having difficulty seeing through my tears I ended up cutting myself. I'm so glad Charlotte was there to bandage me up. Chopping the onions is a necessary step....in the past I made the mistake of just putting them in the food processor but doing so broke up the sugars in the onion and made the onions pulpy and strong to the taste, not sweet. Lesson learned there. Also I forgot that if you put lemon juice on the cutting board and some on the knife it will keep you from crying. So here's the recipe that wows everyone at the table:

Sweet Red Pepper Soup

10 Large Red Bell Peppers (4 lbs.)
1 Large Onion, chopped
1/2 Stick of Butter
4 1/2 Cups of canned Low-Salt Chicken Broth
1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1 Tsp. Sugar
Dash of Cayenne Pepper

Place whole peppers in broiler until charred on all sides. Remove from broiler and place in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap and let steam 20 minutes then remove skins and take out seeds. Cut into medium sized chunks.

Saute onions in butter in a 5 to 6 quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until soft. Stir in peppers and broth and bring to a boil then turn down to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Let cool. Working in batches, puree mixture in blender. Return to sauce pan. Mix in cream and sugar. Season with salt (if needed) and a dash of Cayenne Pepper.

Serve soup plain or top with a dollop of sour cream on top and crumbled bacon or parsley.

Also if you can find jarred already charred and peeled red peppers it can diminish the time by at least an hour or more. When I use jarred peppers I have to add a couple more tablespoons of sugar.

Afterall was said and done I decided that a double batch wasn't enough so on Thanksgiving morning I sent my boyfriend to the store for an onion and this time I had him sharpen my knife so I wouldn't cut myself and I used the lemon juice. I had plenty of soup for some people to have a second helping and also enough to bring some home to my boyfriend's other parents who told me if I didn't save them some I would have to make a batch for them. Whew! Oh and Bon Appetite!