Roasted carrot soup

Cook’s Illustrated

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds carrots (about 8 medium), peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 medium onion , halved and sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. salt (or more if your veg. broth is unsalted)
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 bay leaf
3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1/2 cups half-and-half
Ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees. Toss the carrots, onion, 1 teaspoon of the oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt on a rimmed baking sheet and then spread in an even layer. Roast until the vegetables are well browned and softened, stirring occasionally, 25 to 30 minutes.
2. Transfer the roasted vegetables to a large saucepan. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil, cover, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the carrots soften further, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the wine and bay leaf; cook until the wine has reduced by half, about 1 minute. Add the broth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the soup is flavorful, about 5 minutes.
3. Puree the mixture in a blender (or food processor) until smooth, and return to a clean saucepan. Add the half-and-half and warm over low heat until hot, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (The soup can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Warm over low heat until hot; do not boil.)

SIMPLIFIED: I simplified this by doing it just like I make the roasted squash soup - i just added the whole garlic cloves about half way through cooking and dumped it all into the blender after it had cooled with the broth.