Cream of Chicken and Roasted Garlic Soup
- For the Roasted Garlic:
- 2 bulbs garlic, ends cut to expose cloves
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- For the Poached Chicken:
- 1 3- to 4-pound chicken
- 2 carrots, quartered
- 2 ribs celery with leafy tops, halved
- 1 onion, halved
- 1 large bay leaf
- A few stems or sprigs of parsley, thyme and sage, whatever you have
- Salt and a few peppercorns
- For the Soup: 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 pound white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 2 to 3 ribs celery with leafy tops, finely chopped
- 3 large shallots, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 cup dry sherry or dry white wine
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Nutmeg to taste
- Warm crusty bread, to pass at table
Preheat oven to 400°F. Dress garlic with olive oil, salt and pepper, and wrap tightly in foil. Roast to tender, 40 minutes. Cool and mash cloves into paste.
Place chicken and all poaching ingredients in a pot with enough water to just cover chicken. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook 1 hour, turning chicken once. Cool in poaching liquid then remove skin and bones from chicken. Pull meat into bite-sized pieces and strain stock; reserve.