New Orleans is known for its talented chefs. I don’t think there is one with a better name that chef Susan Spicer. With her delicate touch in the kitchen, her surname could not have been better chosen.
She started her training in New Orleans at the Louis XVI Restaurant. She spent four months in Paris, returning to open a restaurant in the St. Charles hotel called Savior Faire. In 1985, she traveled to Europe and California before returning back to New Orleans. In 1986, she opened the Bistro at Maison de Ville in the Hotel Maison de Ville.
After four years, she left to open her first owner restaurant Bayona, in the French Quarter. Since then, she has opened two more restaurants, Mondo in the Lakewood neighborhood of New Orleans and Rosedale, off Canal Street, not far from City Park. Susan is very involved in Share Our Strength’s annual “Taste of the Nation” and the hunger-relief “Taste of the NFL.”
Today I want to share with you Susan’s signature dish. Her Cream of Garlic Soup has been her calling card since early in her career. So grab your garlic, and Let’s head to the kitchen!
Cream of Garlic Soup
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cups peeled and sliced onions (about 2 pounds)
2 cups peeled but not chopped garlic cloves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
7 cups chicken stock
1 Bouquet Garni (recipe follows)
3 cups stale French bread, torn into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup half-and-half or heavy cream
Salt and pepper
Heat the butter and oil in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until they turn a deep golden brown, 30-40 minutes. Add the thyme, 6 cups of chicken stock and Bouquet Garni and bring to a boil. Stir in the bread cubes and let simmer for 10 minutes, until the bread is soft. Remove the soup from the heat and cool for 10 minutes.
Remove the Bouquet Garni and purée the soup in a blender (in batches, if necessary), until completely smooth. Return the soup to the pot and heat to desired temperature. Whisk in more chicken stock if the mixture is too thick. Add half-and-half or cream until the soup reaches the texture of a classic cream soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Bouquet Garni
To assemble, take one bunch of parsley stems, stripped of leaves (or most of them), 2 small bay leaves, and generous sprig of fresh thyme. Lay the parsley stems side down and spread them a little, then place the bay leaves and thyme in the center and surround with the parsley stems. Cut a 15-inch piece of kitchen twine and pick up the bundle in your hand. Holding the string about 3 inches from the end between the thumb and index finger, wrap the string twice around one end of the bundle, then bring the string down to the other end, wrapping around twice, then back to the middle and around once more, meeting the 3-inch piece and tying a secure knot. Some people like to leave a long piece to tie the bouquet onto the pot handle )making it easier to remove later) but I usually just trim it short. Be sure to tie it snugly. If the bundle is not tied tightly, it can disintegrate when the parsley stems cook and become limp.
I had originally had this article set to run a few weeks ago. It would have followed the Gumbo and Soup articles. I didn’t want this recipe possibility being skipped over by having it follow those other articles. It’s a very delicious soup that your dining companions will take notice of. It just may become your signature dish.
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