Roasted Garlic And Leek Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

4 heads garlic, unpeeled
1/4 cup olive oil
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 leeks, white part only, about 4 cups sliced, rinsed very good (save green tops and the root ends for stock can be frozen)
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups vegetable stock
1/3 cup dry sherry
1 cup whipping cream
fresh lemon juice
salt
lots of fresh white pepper
Fried Garlic Slices
2 garlic cloves, sliced very thinly
2 tablespoons olive oil
Garnish
chives, minced

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350\u00b0F.
Cut off top 1/4 inch of each garlic head.
Place garlic heads in small shallow baking dish.
Drizzle oil over.
Season with salt and pepper.
Bake until golden, about 1 hour.
Cool slightly.
Press individual garlic cloves between thumb and finger to release garlic, Should be like butter.
Chop garlic.
Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat.
Add leeks and onion and saute until onion is translucent, about 8 minutes add garlic.
Reduce heat to low.
Add flour and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in hot stock and Sherry.
Simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Cool slightly.
Puree soup in batches in blender or processor.
Return soup to saucepan.
Add cream and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile.
Heat olive oil then quickly saute garlic slices till crisp and tan.
Add lemon juice to taste.
Season with salt and white pepper.
Ladle into bowls.
Garnish with fried garlic slices and minced chives.