2712. CROCKPOT ONION BACON BISQUE with GOAT CHEESE

5 large Maui sweet onions; slice four, mince one
1/2 loaf day-old French bread
1 head of garlic, minced
1/2 lb. of artichoke roots, peeled and minced
2 whole shallots, minced
2 quarts chicken broth
1/2 cup sherry
1/2 lb. bacon
3-4 sprigs sage
5 sprigs thyme
3-4 sprigs rosemary
1-2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 bay leaves
2 - 2 1/2 tablespoons black pepper
2 tablespoons hot Mexican chili powder
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon Lawry's seasoned salt
1 tablespoon paprika
4 oz. goat cheese

Heat crockpot to high. Add 5 slices of bacon. Cook about 20-25 minutes until they’ve release most of their fat and are starting to crisp. Remove bacon. Add all the onions. Add olive oil. Stir until all the onions are coated with oil and bacon fat. Let cook down for about 5-10 minutes. Add the Sherry. Cook 10 minutes. Add the shallots, artichoke roots, and minced garlic (I recommend mincing them all in a food processor). Sprinkle with salt. Cook 30 minutes until it’s all browned slightly. Add both quarts of chicken broth. In a food processor combine the thyme, rosemary, and sage, with 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar. Process until you have an herb paste. Add the herb paste to the crockpot. Turn heat to low. Cook overnight.

Taste it in the morning, it should be a nice base, but lacking salt, pepper, and other seasonings. Added 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar. Add paprika, seasoned salt, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and chili powder. Stir until combined. Add about 1 1/2 – 2 cups of chopped up day old French bread. Using an immersion blender or regular blender, puree the soup until smoothed. Bring a small pan to medium-high heat. Add 3 slices of bacon. When you flip them(around 4 minutes), turn the heat to medium. Chop up another garlic clove or two and add them to the bacon. Stir until the bacon’s your level of crunchy. Set aside the bacon and pour the garlic/bacon fat into the soup. Stir until combined, and immersion blend until smooth unless you like garlic chunks. Pour out a bowl of soup. Add 2 teaspoons goat cheese (crumbled). Chop up the bacon. Add 1 slice of bacon per bowl on top of the goat cheese. Slice a piece of the day old French bread per bowl, and enjoy!


bacon recipe courtesy of: Nicholas Kern, Eating in Bed, January 30, 2012