Ingredients
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4 heads garlic, unpeeled
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1/4 cup olive oil
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6 tablespoons unsalted butter
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4 leeks, white part only, about 4 cups sliced, rinsed very good (save green tops and the root ends for stock can be frozen)
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1 onion, diced
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1/4 cup all-purpose flour
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4 cups vegetable stock
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1/3 cup dry sherry
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1 cup whipping cream
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fresh lemon juice
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salt
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lots of fresh white pepper
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2 garlic cloves, sliced very thinly
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2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cut off top 1/4 inch of each garlic head.
- Place garlic heads in small shallow baking dish.
- Drizzle oil over.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Bake until golden, about 1 hour.
- Cool slightly.
- Press individual garlic cloves between thumb and finger to release garlic, Should be like butter.
- Chop garlic.
- Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat.
- Add leeks and onion and saute until onion is translucent, about 8 minutes add garlic.
- Reduce heat to low.
- Add flour and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in hot stock and Sherry.
- Simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Cool slightly.
- Puree soup in batches in blender or processor.
- Return soup to saucepan.
- Add cream and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile.
- Heat olive oil then quickly saute garlic slices till crisp and tan.
- Add lemon juice to taste.
- Season with salt and white pepper.
- Ladle into bowls.
- Garnish with fried garlic slices and minced chives.