Roasted Garlic Soup

This soup is definitely only for true garlic fans.  This soup has a rich texture and deep garlicky flavor. Sauteing the garlic on low heat is the key to getting the sweet nutty flavor instead of accidentally getting that crispy burnt garlic that ruins any dish.  This soup is very filling, and is perfect for a side dish or appetizer.  any left overs tend to thicken in the refrigerator and are perfect as a condiment on sandwiches.

Ingredients-

Cloves of about 10 heads of garlic, peeled
1 sweet onion roughly chopped
4 cups of reduced sodium chicken stock
1/3-1/2 cup stale bread, a baguette or something already crusty     works best
4 tbl unsalted butter
olive oil
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne
leaves of about 5 sprigs of thyme
1/3 cup of half and half or heavy cream
salt and pepper
dash of sugar

Peel all of the garlic.  When finished preheat your soup pot to medium low for about 5 minutes.   Add a dash of olive oil and the butter, the oil helps prevent the butter from burning.  Add all of the garlic and season with salt, pepper, and a good dash of sugar.  Stir to make sure that the garlic is not browning too much on any side.  If you feel like the garlic is going to burn, turn down the temperature of the burner.  This step took about half an hour to get all of the garlic perfectly roasted, next add the onion and continue to slowly sauté until the onions are caramelized.  Add the paprika, cayenne, thyme, re-season with salt and pepper and let sauté  a few minutes more.  Add the chicken stock and bring to a gentle boil, add in the first 1/3 cup of dried crusty bread.  Let this cook together for about 10 minutes, then transfer to blender or use an immersion blender.  If the soup is not thickened to your liking then add more of the bread, if it is too thick add some more chicken stock or a bit of water.  Finish the soup with the cream and put back on the burner and let cook for about 10 minutes.  Enjoy this with a grilled cheese sandwich, I used gruyere and that matched pretty well, or by itself.  But you may need some Altoids or gum once you are finished!