Cream of garlic soup

This is one of my favorite recipes.  It comes from "Crescent City Cooking: Unforgettable Recipes from Susan Spicer's New Orleans."  Chef Spicer has an amazing restuarant here in NOLA called Bayona.  This is one of her signature dishes.  When she first started making this, the dishwasher had to peel ten pounds of garlic a day by hand.

2 Tbl butter
2 Tbl olive oil
6 cups sliced onions (about 2 pounds)
2 cups peeled garlic cloves
1 Tbl chopped fresh thymne, or 1 tsp dried
7 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 bouquet garni, made with parsley stems, thyme sprigs, and a bay leaf
3 cups stale French bread, torn into 1/2" pieces
1 cup half and half

Heat butter and oil in a heavy-bottomed 2 quart saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, then the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until they turn a deep golden brown, about 30 to 40 minutes.  Add the thyme, 6 cups of chicken stock and the bouquet garni and bring to a boil.  Stir in the bread cubes and simmer 10 minutes, until the bread is soft.  Remove from heat and let cool 10 minutes.
Remove the bouquet garni, and puree the soup in a blender ( or use an emulsion blender), until completely smooth.  Return the soup to the pot and heat to desired temperature.  Whisk in more chicken stock if mixture is too thick.  Add half and half until it is the consistancy of a classic cream soup.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Makes 8 servings
I enjoy leaving the soup a little milly, you can make it as smooth as you like.  If the garlic turns too black, start over.  Black garlic will be bitter.

ENJOY!