Onion and Smoked Gouda Bisque with Puff Pastry

More than two feet. That's how much snow we got in New York over the weekend. It's not our worst storm but it's up there in the record books although it's a bit late in the season for us. At least it hit on a weekend so that the grounding of flights and suspension or ground traffic wasn't as bad. And we did know it was coming so most of us stocked up for a comfy couple of days of cooking, eating, movie watching and puppy snuggling. Eh, let it snow.

 

But back to the cooking part. I got a few tasty things done in between movies and snuggles but the first thing I made was the all important pot of soup. A bisque, by the way, is a smooth soup whereas a chowder has pieces of vegetables, etc. I bought a delicious hunk of smoked gouda and was considering whether to make a variation on French onion soup. I opted for the smooth creaminess of a bisque instead but, in the spirit of French Onion, I topped it with pastry. Definitely a special treat because...snow!

As for Monday, well, it's messy out there. There are shoveled paths and plenty of salt sprinkled around to melt the ice but that just means puddles and slush and wet boots and disheveled dogs. Sigh. At least there's leftover soup. Enjoy!

Yield: 6 Servings

Author: Anita Schecter

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Onion and Smoked Gouda Bisque with Puff Pastry

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 50 MinTotal time: 1 H & 10 M

Recipe for a smooth, creamy onion soup with smoked cheese and a puff pastry crust.

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 Large or 3 medium onions, peeled and sliced
• 3 Tablespoons all purpose flour
• 5 Cups chicken stock (I used low fat, low sodium)
• 1 Large baking potato, peeled and quartered
• 1 Teaspoon salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 Cup milk
• 1 Cup grated smoked gouda cheese (Gruyere would also work)
• 1 Tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
• 1/2 Sheet store bought puff pastry per serving

Instructions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Add the butter and sliced onions to a large soup pot and saute until lightly golden brown. Whisk in the flour until it forms a paste and then whisk in the chicken stock until smooth. Add the potato, salt and pepper, bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Puree the soup using either a regular blender or immersion blender and return to the heat. Stir in the cheese and parsley and stir until melted.
4. Roll each half sheet of puff pastry into a round slightly bigger than your serving dish (make sure it's oven proof). Ladle the soup into each dish and top with the puff pastry round. Place on a baking sheet to catch any drips and bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry is light golden brown.

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