Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat; add garlic, and sauté 2 minutes or until slightly golden. Stir in crushed tomatoes and next 4 ingredients; cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat 30 minutes. Remove from heat, and let cool 10 minutes.

Process mixture, in small batches, in a blender or food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Return mixture to Dutch oven.

Stir in half-and-half, and simmer, stirring occasionally, over low heat until thoroughly heated; stir in ground red pepper. Garnish, if desired.

Note: For testing purposes only, we used Spice Islands Savory Tomato Pasta Sauce Blend.