Princess Cruises Crown Grill’s Black and Blue Onion Soup

Try your hand at making this passenger favourite at home. It’s a hearty starter that’s great to share, based on traditional French onion soup recipes and enlivened with flavours of whiskey and Roquefort cheese.

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

For the soup:

·         1 teaspoon olive oil

·         2 white onions, sliced

·         1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

·         2 tablespoons of Jack Daniels

·         1 litre of clear brown chicken stock (substitute for vegetable stock to make vegetarian)

·         Salt and pepper to taste

For the Roquefort crust:

·         Half a loaf of white or French bread

·         1 garlic bulb, cut across the grain

·         Olive oil

·         225g Roquefort cheese, crumbled

METHOD

1. Sauté the onions in olive oil over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until browned. Do not burn. Add thyme and cook for an extra two minutes.
2. Add the Jack Daniels. If the mixture doesn’t ignite from the stove, light it carefully with a match and let the alcohol burn off.
3. Add the stock and simmer for one hour, over a moderate heat, allowing the onions to stew.
4. Season to taste and ladle into ovenproof bowls.
5. To make the Roquefort crust, pre-heat the oven to 180°C.
6. Cut the bread into rings, sized to fit into the ovenproof bowls. Rub the cut garlic bulbs across the bread.
7. Place onto baking sheets and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in the oven until crisp and golden brown.
8. Top each soup portion with a round of toasted bread and a thick layer of Roquefort cheese.
9. Place under the grill until the cheese is melted and lightly browned and serve immediately.