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Preheat oven to 350F.
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1. Roast the vegetables: Line two pans with parchment paper. Place halved, cored tomatoes on one pan, skin side down, and the sliced onions and garlic cloves on the other. Drizzle both pans with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in oven until vegetables start to caramelize, 30 minute or longer. The onions will be done first. Take care not to let them burn.
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2. When the tomatoes are soft and have collapsed and onions and garlic are soft, remove from oven and place in a large pot. (Squeeze the garlic from their skins, discarding skin.) Add the fresh herbs and puree with a hand blender.
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3. Add the chicken broth a cup of a time, stirring to incorporate. Simmer the mixture for about 15 minutes, for the flavors to meld.
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4. Take off heat and let cool. Chill in the refrigerator. When the soup is cold, strain it through a sieve, pressing hard on solids to extract all the liquid, discarding solids.
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5. Add the creme fraiche, cumin, and paprika, stirring with a whisk or a hand held blender. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed. (I suppose you could use some heavy cream here if you can't find creme fraiche, but the creme fraiche is great.)
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Chill for another hour or longer to let flavors develop.
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Serve in bowls, garnished with fresh basil leaves.
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Alternatively, this could be served warm!
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Note: This soup is lovely served with crisp Parmesan wafers, which are ridiculously easy to make. Just coarsely grate Parmesan to measure about a cup, and add about 1 T flour and stir. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat and divide the mixture into about 8 small mounds. Place in oven at 350 for a few minutes, until wafers are golden around edges. Carefully transfer with spatula to a rack to cool.
