How to make Roasted Garlic Soup

Here’s a garlicky version of French onion soup, all the onions are replaced by garlic and shallots. Double or triple the recipe for larger meals or servings. Makes 4 servings

What you'll need:
4 garlic heads
8 medium shallots, peeled
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups (1 quart) beef broth
1⁄4 cup brandy or Cognac
2 teaspoons stemmed thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces Gruyère or Emmentaler


Here's how:
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F .

Slice 1⁄2 inch or so off the top of the garlic heads so that all the cloves are exposed. Place them on a sheet of aluminum foil, drizzle with 1 1⁄2 tablespoons olive oil, and seal the packet closed. Roast in the oven until the cloves are as soft as room temperature butter, about 40 minutes.

At the same time, place the shallots in a small, shallow baking dish; drizzle with the remaining 1 1⁄2 tablespoons olive oil; and roast until browned, caramelized, and softened, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Remove both the garlic and shallots from the oven; cool at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Squeeze the soft pulp out of the garlic heads and into a large saucepan. Roughly chop the shallots and add them to the pan. Stir in the broth, brandy or Cognac, thyme, salt, and pepper. Set the pan over the heat and bring to a simmer.

Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer slowly for 45 minutes to blend and soften the flavors. T o serve, grate about an ounce of cheese into each of the bowls. Ladle the soup over the cheese.

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