Caramelized Leek And Yukon Gold Bisque Recipes

CARAMELIZED ONION ROASTED GARLIC BISQUE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350° F.
• Remove papery outer skin from the garlic head (do not peel or separate the cloves). Rub ½ tablespoon oil on garlic head, and wrap it in foil. Bake for 1 hour; let cool 10 minutes. Separate cloves, and peel the skin off of the cloves. Place the garlic cloves in a small dish and set aside.
• While the garlic roasts, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and leek, and cook uncovered 30 minutes, stirring often. Add ½ teaspoon salt and thyme. Cook an additional 30 minutes, uncovered, or until onion is dark and golden in color, stirring occasionally, adding a small amount of water if the onion starts to cook too fast, and scraping up any brown bits off the bottom of the pot.
• Stir the flour into the onion mixture and cook 1 minute. Add wine and broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.
• Place the roasted garlic in the bowl of a blender, add the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and cooked onion mixture, and process until smooth. This may need to be done in two batches depending on the size of your blender.
• Pour the blended onion mixture back to the large saucepan, and add milk; simmer 8 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves and ground black pepper if desired.

CARAMELIZED LEEKS BRAISED IN A WINE AND THYME BUTTER SAUCE

Steps:

• Trim the leeks by removing the outer layer and most of the dark green tops. You should be left with only the white and light green parts. Halve them lengthwise, making sure to leave the root end intact. Place the trimmed leeks in a large bowl of cold water and swish them around to remove the grit and dirt from the many layers. (Leave the leeks in the water for a few minutes - this will loosen up the dirt). Remove the leeks from the water and drain them on a kitchen towel or paper towels.
• Place a 12" non-stick skillet over medium heat (the skillet should have a lid which you will need later.) When the skillet is hot, add two tablespoons of butter and when the butter melts, sprinkle the sugar, ¼ teaspoon of salt and a pinch of pepper evenly over the bottom of the skillet. Next, add the leeks, cut side down in a single layer. Cook the leeks until they become golden brown and caramelized. This will take 5-6 minutes depending on the heat and the kind of skillet you are using.
• To the skillet, add the wine, broth, fresh thyme sprigs and some salt & pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, carefully turning them once or twice (this step is not absolutely necessary). The leeks are done when they can be pierced easily with a knife. If they need a longer time braising or if your liquid has evaporated, add some more wine and broth.
• Remove the leeks from the skillet and place on a serving dish. Cover them to keep them warm. Simmer the remaining liquid in the skillet over medium heat, for a minute or so, until it is thickened. Stir in the remaining 1-tablespoon of butter and the lemon juice. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if needed. Spoon the sauce over the leeks; sprinkle some pomegranate seeds (this is optional) and serve warm.

BALSAMIC CARAMELIZED LEEKS, CARROTS, AND CELERY

Steps:

• Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir leeks until softened, about 5 minutes. Add celery, carrots, vegetable broth, and balsamic vinegar; cook and stir until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
• Stir brown sugar into leek mixture until dissolved and mixture is lightly browned, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper.

CARAMELIZED ONION & ROASTED GARLIC BISQUE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Remove the papery outer skin from garlic, but do not peel or separate cloves.
• Rub 1-1/2 tsps oil over garlic head; wrap in foil and bake for one hour.
• Let cool ten minutes; separate cloves and squeeze to extract garlic pulp.
• Set pulp aside.
• Heat remaining oil in a pot over medium heat; add onions and leeks and cook for 30 minutes, stirring often.
• Add 1/2 tsp salt and thyme; cook an additional 30 minutes or until onions are golden.
• Stir in flour; add wine and broth and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.
• Add garlic pulp, remaining salt and milk to onion mixture.
• Simmer 8 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
• Place half of the mixture in the blender and process until smooth; pour into a soup tureen or another pot and repeat with second half of mixture.
• Garnish with sour cream and toasted caraway seeds (optional).