carmelized onion and parmesan cheese soup

By MauiDreaming

from emeril's cookbook

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cups chopped yellow onions
• 8-12 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 Tspn. minced garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 +1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 2 tsp. minced fresh thyme
• 2 cups crusty bread, in one-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley

Preparation

Step 1

heat the oil in a large heavy pot or dutch oven over medium heat. add the onions, smashed garlic, bay leaves, salt and pepper. cook, stirring often, until the onions are softened and golden, 10-15 minutes. add the minced garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute
stir in the stock and thyme and bring to a boil. rduce the heat to low. simmer, stirring occasionally, 1 hour.
add the bread cubes. cook, whisking often, until the bread disintergrates and thickens the soup, about 10 minutes. remove and discard the bay leaves.
puree the soup with immersion blender or in batches in a food processor or blender.
return to the pot and whisk in the cream, cheese and parsley. season with additional salt and pepper if necessary to taste.
serve with toast