Cream of Fresh Tomato Soup with Thyme

A wonderful soup from fresh summer tomatoes and so much more!
modified from: The Complete Book of Soups and Stews, by Bernard Clayton, Jr. 1984. Simon and Schuster, New York. pp. 441.

Ingredients:
1-1/2 lbs early girl off-the-vine tomatoes
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 large red onion, minced
2 medium carrots, minced
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 long sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
8 ounces tomato juice
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup cream
3 tablespoons basil leaves

To make:

PREPARATION/SCALD
Drop 2 or 3 of the tomatoes in a saucepan of boiling hot water. Scald them for no longer than 15 seconds and remove with a slotted spoon. Place them under cold running water while you drop the remaining tomatoes into the hot bath. The skins will slip off with ease. To seed, cut the tomatoes in half and gently squeeze. then cut them into pieces.

SMOTHER 10 minutes
Heat butter and oil in a large skillet. Add the onions and carrots, cover and cook oover low heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato juice, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper.

BOIL / SIMMER 12 to 15 minutes
Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer until tomatoes are tender, about 12 to 15 minutes.

PUREE 5 minutes
Remove from heat. When the vegetables are somewhat cool, puree in blender. Return to saucepan and set aside until just before serving.

FINAL STEP
When ready to serve, add cream and reheat without boiling. Add basil before serving.