2cupsdiced day-old bread (I used homemade sourdough but the recipe calls for French or Italian)
½cupheavy cream
⅓cupfreshly grated parmesan cheese
1cup creole croutons (see below)
Creole Seasoning for Croutons (makes ⅔ cup)
2½tablespoonpaprika
2tablespoonsalt
2tablespoongarlic powder
1tablespoonblack pepper
1tablespoononion powder
1tablespooncayenne pepper
1tablespoondried oregano
1tablespoondried thyme
Instructions
Heat the oil in a soup pot over high heat. Add the onions, garlic cloves, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Stir well and saute until the onions are caramelized for about 7 minutes. Note: Don't let the onions get too dark; they should be sweet-tasting and a rich golden-brown color.
Stir in the stock, basil and thyme and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 40 minutes. Turn the heat back up to high and whisk in the bread and the cream, and continue whisking until the bread has disintegrated into the soup, for about 10 minutes. Whisk in the parmesan and remove from the heat.
While the soup is simmering, prepare the croutons. Preheat the oven to 375F. Toss 1 cup of day-old bread cubes with 2 teaspoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon Creole Seasoning on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown, for about 4 minutes. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.
Puree the soup in a food processor or blender.
Serve the soup hot. Top with the croutons and, as Emeril says, BAM!