Cream of Tomato Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 large or 8 small tomatoes

¼ cup butter

¼ cup hot water (omit)

2 cups milk

2 cups 1/2&1/2

1½ teaspoons dried Tarragon

or

1 tablespoon fresh, chopped Tarragon

1 clove garlic

salt & pepper

Peel tomatoes. Quarter, squeeze out seeds & juice and discard them. Simmer the tomatoes, in the butter, in a covered pan until tender & thickened, ~20 minutes. Put through a sieve or purée in a blender & add the rest of the ingredients. Note: the garlic clove can be cut in half & fished out later or squeezed in a garlic press. However, it is better to fish out the halves. Heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened.