ONION****Caramelized Onion and Shiitake Soup with Gruyère–Blue Cheese Toasts

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Great for both. Nice change from plain onion soup, although either way is still good.

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  • 6

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 8 cups vertically sliced mixed onions - vidalia, white, red, whatever you have (about 2 pounds sliced)
  • 1 - 2 large leeks, finely sliced
  • 5 cups sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about 10 ounces whole mushrooms - i used 2 3.5 oz. packs from the grocery store)
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 thyme sprigs
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1 2/3 cups chicken broth
  • 1 2/3 cups consome or beef broth
  • 1/2 cup dry sherry
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 12 (1/2-inch-thick) slices French bread baguette, toasted (about 6 ounces)
  • 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated Gruyère cheese
  • 1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled Gorgonzola
  • 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme

Preparation

Step 1

1. To prepare soup, heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and leek to pan; sauté 15 minutes or until almost tender, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook until deep golden brown (about 40 minutes), stirring occasionally.

2. Increase heat to medium. Add mushrooms to pan; cook 10 minutes or until mushrooms are tender, stirring frequently. Stir in garlic and thyme sprigs; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Increase heat to medium-high. Add wine to pan; cook 2 minutes or until most of the liquid evaporates. Add broths to pan; bring to a simmer and add sherry. Reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes. Stir in salt and pepper. Discard thyme sprigs and cool. Divide into three portions and freeze two.

3. To prepare toasts, preheat broiler.

4. Arrange bread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Top each bread slice with 1 teaspoon Gruyère and 1 teaspoon Gorgonzola. N.B. Make a couple extra for Dan as he dunks them, whereas I like them floating on top of the soup. Broil 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Sprinkle chopped thyme over cheese (didn't bother). Ladle about 1 cup soup into each of 6 bowls; top each serving with 2 toasts.

Jeanne Kelley, Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2008 (as doctored by me)

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