Roasted Garlic Soup

Soup

4          large heads of Garlic (or more to taste)

1½ cups  Milk

             Olive Oil

¼  cup  Butter

¼  cup  Flour

5    cups  rich Chicken Stock (unsalted)   Vegetable stock can be substituted.

1    cup   Half and Half (or heavy cream, if you desire]

               Salt and freshly ground Pepper

Roast Garlic:   Place heads of garlic in a small saucepan with the milk; heat till nearly boiling and then simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove garlic from pan and liberally coat each head with olive oil. Wrap heads into an aluminum foil package and roast in a preheated 375 ° oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until heads are quite soft. Strain remaining milk and reserve to add to soup later.

Prepare Base:   While garlic is roasting, prepare the soup base. In a non-reactive saucepan (stainless steel), make a roux with the butter and flour and cook very slowly, stirring continually, for about 5 minutes. Heat the stock, slowly add to the roux and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook 20 minutes, skimming off foam as necessary.

Blend Garlic and Base:   Remove garlic from the oven, and as soon as it can be handled, slice off the top of the garlic heads, and squeeze out the creamy garlic pulp. Puree this pulp with some of the soup base in a blender, then strain this mixture back into the saucepan containing the soup base.

Finish the Soup:   Add the half and half, bring the soup back to almost boiling. Season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately, garnished with a thin slice of the ham butter (floated on the surface of the soup), and a fresh or fried sage leaf, if desired.

Note:  The Garlic and Base can be prepared 2 or 3 days before, and the soup finished just prior to serving.

Makes 6 servings

Sage and Ham Butter Garnish

3    tbsp Butter

3    tbsp  diced Smoky Ham

1    tbsp  minced fresh Sage Leaves

           salt and pepper to taste

Mix together the butter, ham, minced sage, salt and pepper to taste. Spoon out onto an 8-inch square of parchment and roll into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Chill, then slice into 1/8 inch thick rounds. Float on soup as a garnish.

Roasted Garlic Soup is a recipe from the Tapowingo Restaurant in Michigan