FRENCH ONION SOUP

8 onions
2 cloves garlic, minced (or 2Tb preserved garlic)
½ C (½ stick) unsalted butter
2 Tb flour
8 C beef or vegetable broth
½ C dry white wine
1 bunch fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
Piece of cheesecloth & cooking twine
Fresh ground black pepper
Kosher or Sea salt
1 loaf French bread
2 C grated Gruyere
Cut onions from top to bottom, then slice into ¼” slices (should be shaped like a half moon). Melt butter over medium-low heat and saute onions & garlic until tender and golden. Sprinkle flour over onions and cook several minutes to brown the flour & any excess moisture is absorbed. Add broth and wine and bring to a boil.
Place thyme & bay leaves inside the cheesecloth and tie with cooking twine (this will make it easy to remove before serving). Add wrapped bunch to soup and bring down to a simmer for 40 - 50 minutes. Add pepper and salt to taste.
Meanwhile, slice and cube the French bread & toast lightly in a 350 degree oven until golden brown.
To serve, ladle soup into an oven-proof bowl, add toasted cubes to the top and cover with Gruyere generously. Place bowls on a sheet pan and place under the broiler to melt and turn golden brown (approx 5 minutes)
Yield 4 to 6 servings.

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

3 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded & cut into cubes
1 large yellow onion, quartered
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into wedges
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored & cut into wedges
2 pears, peeled, cored & cut into wedges
¼ C olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3-4 C broth (veggie or chicken)
1 tsp curry powder
Condiments:
Green onions, sliced diagonally
Shredded coconut, lightly toasted
Roasted cashews, lightly salted, toasted & chopped
Diced banana
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Prepare two sheet pans by rubbing with olive oil.
All of the squash, onion, sweet potatoes, apples & pears should be about the same size. Place them on the sheet pans and spread out into a single layer. Pour remaining olive oil evenly over the vegetables & fruit, season with kosher salt & freshly ground pepper. Roast for 40 - 45 minutes until very tender.
Meanwhile, heat 3 cups of the broth in a slow cooker (alternately a stock pot can be used), bring up to a simmer.
When the vegetables & fruits are tender, use a food processor to puree them. Do this in small batches to ensure a smooth, even consistency. Use some of the broth to achieve this. Once pureed, add to the simmering broth & stir well. Taste and season with kosher salt & freshly ground pepper, if needed.
At this stage the soup can sit for several hours in the slow cooker until ready to be served. Just before serving, add the curry powder and use an immersion blender to thoroughly mix.
Serve hot with condiments on the side & let your guests add them in the amounts they like.
Yield 6 - 8 servings.

CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP

1 C (2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided use
32 ounces, mushrooms (white button & Portobello)
1 Tb & 1 tsp kosher salt
2 large onions, chopped
¼ C flour
1 tsp white pepper, or to taste
8 Cans (10 ¾ ounces each) chicken or vegetable broth
½ tsp ground nutmeg
4 C heavy whipping cream
½ C parmesan cheese (for garnish)
Chopped parsley (for garnish)
Clean mushrooms with a mushroom brush or a damp paper towel. Cut 1/3 mushrooms into slices, chop 1/3 & puree the last 1/3. (Tip: remove stems before slicing/chopping & include in the puree).
Melt half of the butter in a large stockpot and saute sliced mushrooms until golden and tender. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve. Add a ½ stick of butter to remaining butter and melt. Add chopped mushrooms and chopped onion. Add salt. Cook, stirring often, until mushroom and onion is golden (translucent) and soft. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve (they can be combined with the sliced mushrooms). Add remaining butter, melt, then cook pureed mushrooms for several minutes (about 7-10) - add flour and continue cooking for about 4 minutes, until smooth. Return sliced and chopped mushrooms to pot and slowly add broth (can at a time) while stirring. Bring to a simmer. Add nutmeg and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed.
Add heavy whipping cream and bring to a simmer (Do not boil). Ladle into bowls and garnish with parsley and parmesan (I buy a block of parmesan and use my food processor to shred with the parsley - makes a nice green colored cheese that shows up well on the top of the soup).
Yield 14 to 16 servings. Freezes well.