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Le Chaudron recipe

Soupe à l'ail

French garlic soup

⏱ 40 minServes 4Easy180 kcal

A recipe from Le Chaudron — the cooking of France’s regions.

01 — Ingredients4 servings

  • 3whole heads garlic60 cloves
  • 2yellow onions
  • 60 g (2 oz)unsalted butter
  • 1 L (4¼ cups)chicken stock
  • 300 ml (1¼ cups)thick crème fraîche
  • 100 ml (½ cup)whole milk
  • 300 g (11 oz)potatoes
  • 3 tbspolive oil
  • 1baguettefor the croutons
  • 100 g (3½ oz)grated Gruyère
  • 1 pinchnutmeg
  • 3 sprigsfresh thyme
  • 2 leavesbay leaf
  • 1bunch of flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 tspfleur de sel (flaky sea salt)
  • 1 tspfreshly ground pepper
  • 3 whole heads garlic 60 cloves
  • 2 yellow onions
  • 60 g (2 oz) unsalted butter
  • 1 L (4¼ cups) chicken stock
  • 300 ml (1¼ cups) thick crème fraîche
  • 100 ml (½ cup) whole milk
  • 300 g (11 oz) potatoes
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 baguette for the croutons
  • 100 g (3½ oz) grated Gruyère
  • 1 pinch nutmeg
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 leaves bay leaf
  • 1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 tsp fleur de sel (flaky sea salt)
  • 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
Serves 4. In the app, quantities adjust to the number of guests on their own — and the ingredients go straight to your shopping list.

02 — Equipment

1 large 4 L (4 qt) saucepan1 immersion blender1 paring knife1 vegetable peeler1 wooden spoon1 toaster or skilletBlack peppercorns

03 — Method

  1. Break the 3 heads of garlic into cloves and peel them. It takes patience, but it's what gives this soup its flavor.
  2. Remove the green germ from all 60 cloves. This is ESSENTIAL to avoid bitterness and keep the garlic easy to digest. The soup should taste mellow.
  3. Peel and thinly slice the 2 yellow onions. Peel the 300 g (10½ oz) potatoes and cut into even 2 cm (¾ in) cubes.
  4. Melt the butter with 3 tbsp olive oil in the large pot over medium heat without browning. Sweat the onions and all the garlic over low heat for 10 minutes until translucent; the slow cooking mellows the garlic.
  5. Add the potatoes, fresh thyme sprigs and bay leaves and cook 3 minutes, stirring. Pour in hot chicken stock to just cover and bring to a simmer over high heat.
  6. Season with fleur de sel and plenty of pepper and simmer 30 minutes over low heat until the garlic is soft and sweet.
  7. Remove the thyme and bay leaves. Blend with an immersion blender right in the pot until perfectly smooth. Stir in the crème fraîche, whole milk and a pinch of grated nutmeg.
  8. For the croutons: slice the baguette thinly and toast in a skillet or toaster. Rub with garlic. Serve the soup piping hot, topped with grated Gruyère, chopped parsley and the garlic croutons.

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