White onion soup with whipped Brie toasts recipe | Sainsbury`s Magazine (2024)

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

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.

See more of Sarah Cook’s recipes

Rate this recipe

Print

Ingredients

Share:

Step by step

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.