Cheese Soup From Alton Brown Food

FRENCH ONION SOUP

Steps:

• Trim the ends off each onion then halve lengthwise. Remove peel and finely slice into half-moon shapes. Set electric skillet to 300 degrees and add butter. Once butter has melted add a layer of onions and sprinkle with a little salt. Repeat layering onions and salt until all onions are in the skillet. Do not try stirring until onions have sweated down for 15 to 20 minutes. After that, stir occasionally until onions are dark mahogany and reduced to approximately 2 cups. This should take 45 minutes to 1 hour. Do not worry about burning.
• Add enough wine to cover the onions and turn heat to high, reducing the wine to a syrup consistency. Add consomme, chicken broth, apple cider and bouquet garni. Reduce heat and simmer 15 to 20 minutes.
• Place oven rack in top 1/3 of oven and heat broiler.
• Cut country bread in rounds large enough to fit mouth of oven safe soup crocks. Place the slices on a baking sheet and place under broiler for 1 minute.
• Season soup mixture with salt, pepper and cognac. Remove bouquet garni and ladle soup into crocks leaving one inch to the lip. Place bread round, toasted side down, on top of soup and top with grated cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly and golden, 1 to 2 minutes.

CHEESE SOUP FROM ALTON BROWN

Steps:

• Melt butter in large, heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, and salt. Sweat for 5-10 minutes, or until veggies begin to soften, stirring occasionally. Sift the flour over the veggies and cook, strring constantly, for 2-3 minutes.
• Gradually add chicken broth and bring to boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and add garlic and bay leaf. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until veggies are soft.
• Remove bay leaf. Turn off heat, add heavy cream and then puree with an immersion blender or in a conventional blender (if using blender or food porcessor, cool 5 minutes then transfer liquid to blender or processor and fill no more than 1/2 way. If using blender, release one corner of lid to prevent vacuum effect from heat expansion resulting in heat explosion. Place a towel over top of processor feeding and pulse a few times beofre process on high speed until smooth).
• Gradually add the cheese, 1 small handful at a time, and stir until melted before adding next handful. Stir in Marsala, Worcestershire, hot sauce, and white pepper. Taste and add additional salt if desires. If soup is not hot enough, return to low heat until warmed through.
• If not serving right away, store in a thermos to keep warm and avoid graininess. If refrigerating and reheating, use double boiler to reheat.

FRENCH ONION SOUP

Steps:

• Set a 12-inch electric skillet to 250ºF, or set a 4-quart saucepan over low heat.
• Peel the onions. Halve the onions end to end, then slice into thin half-moons.
• Melt the butter in the skillet. Add the onions to the skillet in 3 layers, adding about 1 teaspoon of salt to the top of each addition. Let the onions sweat for 15 to 20 minutes without stirring; do not let the onions sizzle or brown. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are dark mahogany and reduced to approximately 2 cups, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Add just enough wine to cover the onions (you might not use all the wine, and that's OK), then turn the heat to 375ºF (or high). Cook until the wine is reduced to a syrup consistency, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the beef consommé, chicken broth, and the bouquet garni. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 more minutes.
• Meanwhile, set an oven rack in the top third of the oven and set the broiler to high. Cut the bread into rounds that will fit into the tops of the crocks. (You can do this with the crocks by inverting them over the bread and pressing down, like a cookie cutter.) Place the bread slices on a half-sheet pan and broil until they just start to brown, about 1 minute.
• Season the soup with pepper and Cognac, if using. Place 8 oven-safe crocks on a half-sheet pan and ladle in the soup, leaving about 1 inch of space at the top. Place the toast rounds, toasted side down, on top of the soup and top with the cheese. Broil until the cheese is bubbly and golden, 1 to 2 minutes.

ALTON BROWN'S WINTER VEGETABLE SOUP

Steps:

• Place 2 tablespoons of the olive oil into an 8-quart stockpot over high heat until the oil shimmers. Add the mushrooms and saute until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and set aside.
• Decrease the heat to low, add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and the carrots, celery, onions and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 30 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes, sage, rosemary and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring to break up the tomatoes. Add the water, soy sauce and Parmesan rind, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, about 15 minutes. Decrease the heat to low, add the squash and kale, cover and cook until tender, 30 to 35 minutes.
• Return the mushrooms to the pot along with the beans and red wine vinegar and cook until all is heated through, about 15 minutes. Remove the cheese rind and serve warm with shaved Parmesan.

CHEESE SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter in large heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, and salt. Sweat for 5 to 10 minutes or until the vegetables begin to soften, stirring occasionally. Sift the flour over the vegetables and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Gradually add the chicken stock and bring to boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and add the garlic and bay leaf. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until vegetables are soft.
• Remove bay leaf. Turn off the heat, add the heavy cream, and then puree with an immersion blender or in a conventional blender*. Gradually add the cheese, 1 small handful at a time, and stir until melted before adding next handful. Stir in the Marsala, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and white pepper. Taste and add additional salt if desired. If soup is not hot enough, return to a low heat until warmed through.
• *When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.