Caramelised Onion Barley Soup With Cheese Croutons Food

CARAMELIZED ONION SOUP WITH SWISS CHEESE & BASIL CROUTONS

Steps:

• Sauté onions and garlic in oil and butter in a large soup pot over medium heat until soft and golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.
• Add black pepper and thyme to onions. Cook 1 minute. Then add red wine, cook about 1 minute while stirring and scraping any bits off the bottom of the pan.
• Add water and bouillon to pot. Bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. (Double check to see if it needs any salt and pepper added to taste).
• In a bowl, combine cheese, basil, pepper and mayo. Spread over one side of each bread slice.
• Ladle soup into oven-safe bowls. Top each soup bowl with bread, cheese side up, making sure to cover entire soup surface with a layer of bread. (My soup mugs are quite large, so I use 2-3 baguette slices per serving).
• Broil 2-3 minutes until the cheese begins to melt and brown a bit.

CARAMELIZED ONION SOUP WITH BLUE CHEESE CROUTONS

Steps:

• In pot, melt butter over medium heat; add onions, thyme and 1/4 teaspoons each salt and pepper and sauté for 2 minutes or until starting to soften. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook, stirring often, for about 20 minutes or until onions are very soft. Uncover and cook, stirring often, for 15 to 20 minutes or until caramelized. Increase heat to medium-high; add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add sherry and bring to a boil, scraping up bits stuck to pot. Add beef stock and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and boil gently for about 10 minutes or until flavours are blended.
• CROUTONS:.
• Preheat broiler. On a baking sheet, lightly toast both sides of baguette slices. Spread one side with softened blue cheese.
• To serve, stir cream into hot soup and season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into ovenproof soup bowls . Float one crouton in each bowl and broil for about 2 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.