Creamy Tomato Soup

Somebody found this delicious tomato soup recipe and made it for us the other night. They adapted this recipe.

Creamy Tomato Soup

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
About 10 sprigs thyme
1 medium/large Vidalia onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 6-oz can tomato paste
2 28-ounce cans whole tomatoes
1.5 tsp dried basil
1–2 teaspoons sugar, divided
1 half-pint heavy cream
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

1. Melt butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add thyme, onion, and garlic. Cook until onion is completely soft and translucent, 10–12 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high; add tomato paste. Continue cooking, stirring often, until paste has begun to caramelize in spots, 5–6 minutes.
2. Pull thyme sprigs out (pulling off leaves and re-adding to pot if desired). Add tomatoes with juices, basil, 1 tsp. sugar, and 8 cups water to pot. Increase heat to high; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer until flavors meld and soup reduces to about 2 quarts (8 cups), 45–55 minutes.
3. Remove soup from heat; let cool slightly. Discard thyme sprigs. Working in small batches, purée soup in a blender until smooth. Return to pot.
4. Stir in 1/4 cup cream. Simmer soup until flavors meld, 10–15 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and remaining 1 tsp. sugar. Add more cream, if desired.