Name: Cider & onion soup with cheese & apple toasts
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 2
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 30g butter; 2 onions peeled and sliced; 3 garlic cloves peeled and sliced; 100ml scrumpy cider; 1 small potato peeled and sliced; 2 thyme sprigs, plus 1 tsp thyme leaves to serve; 450ml chicken stock; 50ml double cream or crème fraîche; ½ Granny Smith apple cored, peeled and cut into fine matchsticks; 2 slices sourdough or baguette; 20g grated cheddar or other crumbled cheese; 10g dried apple; 1 spring onion finely sliced

Cider & onion soup with cheese & apple toasts served in two bowls

30g butter
2 onions
peeled and sliced
3 garlic cloves
peeled and sliced
100ml scrumpy cider
1 small potato
peeled and sliced
2 thyme
sprigs, plus 1 tsp thyme leaves to serve
450ml chicken stock
50ml double cream
or crème fraîche
½ Granny Smith apple
cored, peeled and cut into fine matchsticks

For the toasts

2 slices sourdough
or baguette
20g grated cheddar
or other crumbled cheese
10g dried apple
1 spring onion
finely sliced

Method

step 1
Heat the butter in a saucepan until foaming, then add the onions and cook for 10 mins until soft and golden. Add the garlic and cook for 1 min more. Pour over the cider, then add the potato and thyme sprigs and simmer for another 2 mins. Stir in the stock and cream, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 mins until the potato is soft. Remove and discard the thyme, transfer the soup to a blender and blitz until smooth.
step 2
To make the cheese & apple toasts, heat the grill to high. Toast the bread on both sides, then mix the cheese, dried apple and onion together. Pack the mixture onto the toasts, then grill until melted and golden. Pour the soup into bowls, scatter over the apple matchsticks and thyme leaves, then serve with the toasts.