Burned Toast Soup Recipes

Steps:

• In a small stockpot or Dutch oven, cook bacon over low to medium heat until cooked through but not crisp. Reserve a few pieces of bacon for garnish, if desired. Pour the chicken stock over the bacon, bring to a simmer and remove from heat. Let stand for 20 minutes.
• Toast the bread slices under a broiler or in a toaster, allowing them to blacken on the edges and turn deep brown all over. Add toast to the stock, ripping it up if it does not fit in the pot. Let stand for 10 minutes so the toast can soak up the stock.
• Meanwhile, heat the milk in another pan until it steams, then add it to the pot. Add mustard and vinegar, season with salt and pepper. Use an immersion blender to purée the mixture until smooth or transfer to a blender to purée, then return to the pot. Heat gently. When hot, whisk in the butter until it disappears into the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste, garnish with reserved bacon.

Steps:

• Set 2 large, wide skillets over medium-high heat. When pans are hot, add 1 tablespoon oil and a large handful of sliced onions to each pan. Season onions with salt and pepper, then sauté, stirring occasionally, until they are a ruddy dark brown, about 10 minutes
• Transfer onions to soup pot and return pans to stove. Pour 1/2 cup water into each pan to deglaze it, scraping with a wooden spoon to dissolve any brown bits. Pour deglazing liquid into soup pot. Wipe pans clean with paper towel and begin again with more oil and sliced onions. Continue until all onions are used. Don't crowd pans or onions won't brown sufficiently.
• Place soup pot over high heat. Add wine, bay leaves, thyme bunch and garlic. Simmer rapidly for 5 minutes, then add 8 cups water and return to boil. Turn heat down to maintain a gentle simmer. Add 2 teaspoons salt. Cook for 45 minutes. Skim off any surface fat, taste and adjust seasoning. (May be prepared to this point up to 2 days in advance.)
• To serve, add brandy to soup, if using, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove the thyme. Make the cheese toasts: Heat broiler. Place toasted bread on baking sheet. Mix grated cheese with chopped thyme and sage, along with a generous amount of pepper. Heap about 1 ounce of cheese mixture on each toast. Broil until cheese bubbles and browns slightly. Ladle soup into wide bowls and top with toast.

Steps:

• Melt 6 T. butter in a heavy saucepan. Stir in the flour. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth and the color of chocolate. This takes about 7 - 10 minutes. Do not let the mixture scorch. (If it does, throw it out and start over.).
• Remove from heat. Gradually add the hot water, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth. Add onion, bay leaf and salt to taste. Simmer over the lowestg possible heat, stirring occasionally, for one hour.
• Remove onion and bay leaf before serving. Add the last tablespoons of butter.
• NOTE: some cooks add 1 t. tomato paste, others 1 - 2 T. dry madeira and others a little grated swiss cheese.