Onion & Cheddar Soup
This is a perfect creamy spring and summer soup, served with crusty bread and butter, it’s not too heavy and it’s not too filling. The sweetness of the seasonal white onions, contrasting with the deep flavours of a strong, mature cheddar cheese, lend themselves to a blend and creamy marriage made in heaven. To make it for vegetarians use vegetarian cheddar and a vegetable stock. However, this Onion and Cheddar Soup recipe is enhanced by using the best quality cheddar and fresh chicken stock.
Onion And Cheddar Soup Recipe
Recipe Ingredients:
- 900g white onions (peeled and sliced fine)
- 150g Cheddar (grated strong mature cheese)
- 300ml fresh chicken stock
- 200ml whole milk
- 100ml double cream
- 40g butter
- 2 garlic cloves (peeled and crushed fine)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp Thyme Leaves (fresh stripped from sprigs)
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
Recipe Method:
In a large, heavy bottomed saucepan melt the butter, add the onions and season with the salt and pepper. Sweat the onions in the butter on a medium heat for 7 minutes, so they go soft and translucent, but not browned. Add the garlic, bay and thyme leaves and cook for another 5 minutes.
Pour in the chicken stock (or vegetable stock) and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 10 minutes, check that the onions have become very soft. Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaves. Using a hand blender (or pour into a regular blender) puree the soup until silky smooth and everything is reduce to a thick liquid with no lumps.
Put the pan back on to a medium heat (return the soup to the pan if using a regular blender). Add the milk and cream, stir and bring the soup back up to a gentle simmer. Stir in the grated cheese and season well with salt and pepper. Stir for a few minutes until all the cheese has melted into the onion, cream soup.
Serve in warm bowls with some buttered crusty bread on the side. If having this onion and cheddar soup out of a mug then cut some bread up into small squares, fry them in a little butter and oil until crispy and sprinkle the croutons on top of the soup in the mug.
