Cream of Garlic Soup
Submitted by Gymmie1111
Four whole heads of garlic simmered with onion, chicken stock, and day-old French bread, puréed smooth and finished with cream. Mellow, rich, and nothing like you’d expect.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
25 minREADY
45 minFour heads of garlic sounds aggressive until you realize that simmering transforms garlic from sharp and biting into something sweet, mellow, and almost nutty.
Onion and all that garlic cook gently in butter before chicken stock, day-old French bread, bay leaf, and thyme go in for a long, fragrant simmer.
The bread dissolves into the broth and acts as a natural thickener, so there’s no need for flour or roux.
Puréed, strained, and finished with cream, the result is a soup that’s silky, golden, and surprisingly gentle considering the mountain of garlic that went into it.
Kitchen Tips
- Day-old bread is important. Stale bread absorbs the broth and breaks down into the soup, thickening it naturally. Fresh bread won’t dissolve the same way.
- Don’t be scared of four heads of garlic. Cooked long and slow, garlic loses its bite completely and becomes sweet and mellow. This won’t send anyone running.
- Strain through a fine sieve after puréeing for the smoothest possible texture. The sieve catches any fibrous garlic bits or bread chunks the blender missed.
Ingredients
Directions
Melt the butter in a soup kettle and add onion and garlic.
Cook for 5 minutes over moderate heat.
Strain a quart of chicken stock into the pan and simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir in the bread slices and add bay leaf and thyme.
Simmer for 10 minutes longer.
Put the mixture into a food processor and process to a puree.
Force through a sieve and add cream.
Heat through and correct seasoning.
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