White onion soup with whipped Brie toasts
Makes: 6 as a starter
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Kris Kirkham
White onion soup with whipped Brie toasts
Recipe by Sarah Cook
French onion soup’s more glamorous cousin, this potage somehow manages to be both delicate and rich – the perfect way to start a smart winter supper. You could make the toasts more crouton-like by brushing bread slices with oil and baking in the oven until crisp, but a quick blast in the toaster is a good, low-energy compromise
Makes: 6 as a starter
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
424Kcal
Fat
25gr
Saturates
12gr
Carbs
35gr
Sugars
11gr
Fibre
7gr
Protein
13gr
Salt
1.9gr
Sarah Cook
Sarah, a former food editor, has now been writing and styling recipes for over 10 years. Born in NZ, to Irish-English immigrants, and married to a Polish-Scot, her food is as diverse as her family, with a particular passion for baking mash-ups.
Sarah Cook
Sarah, a former food editor, has now been writing and styling recipes for over 10 years. Born in NZ, to Irish-English immigrants, and married to a Polish-Scot, her food is as diverse as her family, with a particular passion for baking mash-ups.
Ingredients
- 1kg bag of onions
- 2 tbsp olive oil, plus a drizzle extra to serve
- 200g French mild Brie cheese - use vegetarian cheese if required
- 1 chicken or vegetable stock pot with thyme and garlic (or bay and parsley) - use vegetable stock if required
- 1 bake-at-home stonebaked white baguette
- 6 tbsp double cream
- 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley, plus extra to garnish
Step by step
Get ahead
Make the soup up to 48 hours ahead, or freeze (without the cream) for up to 3 months. You can make the whipped Brie up to 48 hours ahead; remove from the fridge about an hour before serving to come back to room temperature.
- Set aside 2 onions for the cassoulet, then finely slice the rest for the soup. Put the onion slices into a deep, lidded saucepan then add the olive oil and a pinch of salt and turn the heat to high. When the onions start sizzling, turn the heat to low and put on the lid. Cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are really soft but not coloured.
- Meanwhile, slice the rind off the Brie and discard, then dice the cheese and leave to soften on a plate, at room temperature, ready to whip later.
- Add the stock pot with 750ml of water to the onions, increase the heat and cover. When the soup starts simmering, bubble gently for 10 minutes.
- On a slight diagonal, cut 12 thin slices from the middle of the baton (or, if making the soup ahead, just cut a 5cm chunk from each end and keep the nice middle section for serving). Pull 15g of soft bread from the discarded baton ends.
- Take the soup off the heat, then add the soft bread along with 4 tablespoons of the cream, and use a stick blender to blitz to a smooth consistency. Taste for seasoning.
- In a medium bowl, beat the soft chunks of Brie with an electric whisk (or put into a mini food processor) until mashed, then add the remaining 2 tablespoons of cream, the chopped parsley and a tiny pinch of salt, and whisk or whizz again until fairly smooth.
- To serve, reheat the soup and lightly toast the bread slices. Smear the toasts generously with the whipped Brie and add one to each bowl of soup along with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprig of parsley. Serve the extra toasts to the side.
