Five Onion Soup With Stilton Crust

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 2 medium spanish onions, sliced
• 2 large red onions, sliced
• 4 leeks, part only, julienned and washed thoroughly
• 1 bunch spring onions or 1 bunch scallion, part and 1 inch green, cut on the bias
• 2 shallots, sliced
• 1 1/4 liters strong chicken stock
• 75 ml brandy
• 60 ml whiskey
• 110 g unsalted butter
• 125 ml double cream
• salt
• pepper
• 6 -8 sheets pastry dough (five inch square)
• 50 g crumbled stilton cheese

Recipe

• 1 slowly melt butter in a pan with a heavy bottom.
• 2 add the spanish and red onions.
• 3 fry on a low heat until they start to caramelize.
• 4 add the leeks and shallots and continue to fry saute until just starting to be soft.
• 5 pour in the chicken stock, brandy and whiskey and bring everything to a boil.
• 6 turn the heat heat down and allow to simmer for sixty minutes.
• 7 take the pan off the hobb and add the spring onions/scallions allow to cool a little and stir in the cream slowly.
• 8 season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• 9 if you can allow to cool completely and refrigerate the soup over night for extra flavour.
• 10 be careful when reheating, keep the heat low and keep stirring to avoid the soup burning.
• 11 to serve pour the reheated soup into ovenproof crocks or bowls.
• 12 stretch the puff pastry squares slowly to cover the bowl/crock and fold over the edges to seal.
• 13 divide the stilton into four portions and sprinkle over the top of the pastry.
• 14 in a preheated oven (180°c/350°f/gas 4) bake until the pastry is starting to puff up and brown and the cheese has melted, approx 20-25 minutes (make sure you keep an eye on it, to stop it from burning, as this time is estimated).