Degustation Nation

I have mentioned before how much I love it when my Lady T gets the itch to cook.  She came up with a brilliant plan for Sunday afternoon:  espresso, a movie, then an evening of her cooking and me getting caught up on some guitar playing.  Of course, I was enlisted to do some prep work (I’m a skilled chopper).  Soups were on the dinner menu.  She figured it would be fun to make a couple of different soups and try them side by side.  First we had a Roasted Garlic Soup with Parmesan Cheese.  It was a garlic lover’s delight - smooth, creamy, and loaded with both the sweetness of roasted garlic along with the spiciness of fresh cloves.  Heavenly!  Here’s the scoop:

26 Garlic Cloves (unpeeled)

2 tbs Olive Oil

2 tbs (1/4 stick) Butter

2 & 1/4 Cups Sliced Onions

1 & 1/2 tsp Fresh Chopped Thyme

18 Garlic Cloves (peeled)

3 & 1/2 Cups Chicken Stock

1/2 Cup Whipping Cream

1/2 Cup Finely Grated Parmesan Cheese

4 Lemon Wedges

Preheat oven to 350.  Place 26 garlic cloves in a small glass baking dish.  Add 2 tbs olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat.  Cover baking dish tightly with foil and bake until garlic is golden brown and tender, about 45 minutes.  Cool.  Squeeze garlic between fingers to relase the cloves.  Transfer cloves to a small bowl.

Melt butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add onions and thyme and coll until onions are translucent, about 6 minutes.  Add roasted garlic and 18 raw garlic cloves and cook 3 minutes.  Add chicken stock; cover and simmer until garlic is very tender, about 20 minutes.  Working in batches (unless you have an immersion blender) puree the soup in a blender until smooth.  Return soup to saucepan; add cream and bring to a simmer.  Season with salt and pepper.

Divide grated cheese among 4 bowls and ladle soup over.  Squeeze juice of 1 lemon wedge into each bowl and serve.  This soup was also very good when served chilled the next day.

Next up was Potato, Leek and Oyster Soup.  If you don’t like oysters, then omit them; this soup can stand on it’s own without them.  Make it like this:

2 tbs (1/4 stick) Unsalted Butter

2 Leeks, White and Tender Green Portions, Thinly Sliced

Sea Salt to Taste

1/2 lb Yukon Gold Potatoes, Peeled and Thinly Sliced

1 qt Whole Milk

1/3 cup Heavy Cream

Freshly Grated Nutmeg

8 Fresh Oysters, shucked

In a 6 qt stockpot, combine the butter, leeks, and 1 tsp sea salt.  Sweat down the leeks, covered, over low heat until the leeks are soft but not browned, about 3 minutes.  Add the potatoes, milk, cream, and several gratings of nutmeg.  Simmer, covered, stirring often to prevent sticking on the bottom of the pot, about 20 minutes.  Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed with sea salt.

Process the soup in batches (or with your immersion blender, which if you don’t already have, you need to get!) until emulsified and smooth.

Ladle soup into 4 shallow bowls and float a few oysters in each bowl.  The oysters will cook slightly in the heat of the soup as it is served.  Garnish with some fresh chopped parsley if you have some on hand.

Here is what it looked like:

This is what we snacked on with some Champagne while the soup was cooking:

I encourage you to try these soups, they are dynamite.  If you are a garlic lover, the first one is sure to make you feel good all over.  If you fancy raw or semi-raw bivalves, then the second one will make you a happy camper.  Enjoy!