Creamed Leeks - cooking recipe

Ingredients

40 g unsalted butter
6 leeks, white and pale green parts only, thoroughly washed, halved and finely sliced
6 onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon brown sugar
150 ml white wine
10 tablespoons double cream
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 cup havarti cheese or 1 cup swiss cheese, grated
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 tablespoons almonds or 1 1/2 tablespoons walnuts, coarsely chopped
fresh chives, to garnish

Preparation

Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat and gently saute the leeks, onions, garlic and thyme for 5-10 minutes or until they have softened. In the last few minutes, add the teaspoon of brown sugar. Pour in the white wine and leave the pan over the heat for a further 5 minutes.
Add the double cream, season to taste with the black pepper; and simmer gently for 5-6 minutes.
Transfer the leeks and onions to an ovenproof dish and leave to cool.
Preheat the oven to 180\u00b0C/355\u00b0F/gas 4.
In a small bowl, combine the cheeses, nutmeg and nuts. If the leeks and onions mixture seems too thick, to be having the cheeses and nuts added to it, add a little more wine, a tiny bit at a time; then add the cheese and nuts mixture to the ovenproof dish containing the leeks and onions; and bake it in the oven for 20-30 minutes. The cheeses and nuts can serve as a topping for the leeks and onions or you can mix the cheeses into the leeks and onions mixture. Go with your preference.
Serve hot, garnished with fresh chives.