Roasted Shallot Soup with Gorgonzola Croutons
This soup, and many other delicious food and wine pairings, comes from my new cookbook Washington: Wine+ Food. A play on traditional French onion soup, this cozy essential combines sweet and savory flavors for a rich, full-bodied broth.
Serves 6
You'll Need
3 sprigs marjoram, plus extra for garnish
2 sprigs thyme, plus extra for garnish
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
5 large shallots, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup Madeira
6 cups veal stock
1 Tbsp sherry vinegar
Salt and black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup cognac
6 slices baguette
1 cup crumbled Gorgonzola or blue cheese (such as Rogue Creamery's Rogue River Blue)
How To Make It
- Tie marjoram, thyme, and bay leaf with kitchen twine.
- Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Add shallots, herbs, and salt and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until shallots just begins to caramelize.
- Increase heat to medium-high, then add wine and Madeira and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until reduced by half.
- Pour in stock and cook for another 20 minutes.
- Add vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove from heat and discard the herbs. Stir in cognac.
- Preheat broiler to 400°F.
- Arrange baguette slices on a baking sheet and broil for 1 minute on each side, until golden.
- Top each with Gorgonzola and broil for another minute, until Gorgonzola starts to melt. (Be careful not to burn the bread.)
- Ladle soup into bowls and top with a baguette slice. Garnish with marjoram or thyme and serve immediately.
Excerpted from Washington Wine + Food: The Cookbook by Julien Perry. Photographs by Charity Burggraaf. Copyright 2020 by Julien Perry. Texts and recipes copyright © 2020 by individual contributors. Excerpted with permission from Figure 1 Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
