Preparation

Preheat the broiler. Place the red peppers under the broiler, 4 inches from the heat source, and char on all sides (or roast peppers over the flame of a gas burner). When blackened on all sides, remove from the broiler and place in a paper bag for 5 minutes to steam. Remove them from the bag, peel the charred skin, halve, seed, and chop into 1/2-inch pieces; set aside. Heat the butter in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and sweat for 4 minutes, until tender. Add the thyme, bay leaves, salt, and cayenne and stir to coat the vegetables. Add 1/2 of the chopped red peppers, the stock, and basil stems and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, partially cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the heavy cream and garlic in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until the cream is reduced by half. Transfer the garlic cream to a blender, add the remaining roasted red peppers, and puree until smooth. Place the puree in a pot, stir, and heat through. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil leaves. To serve, remove the bay leaves and basil stems and ladle the soup into bowls.