Recipe: “The Alfred Pennyworth" Miso Onion Vichyssoise

For this episode of Dinner Deeas, I’m incredibly excited to be cooking alongside Michael Uslan, the Executive Producer behind every Batman film. As a lifelong Batman fan—so much so that I dressed as The Dark Knight for nine years as a kid, with an unbroken streak of eight years—I’ve always been fascinated by how food connects with storytelling, and Batman is no exception. Every time I would walk downstairs to my parent’s basement as a kid, I believed I was walking into the "Batcave". In fact, Batman Returns, released in 1992, is the only film in the franchise to deliberately reference a real dish: Vichyssoise. I’ve named this version after the faithful butler, Alfred Pennyworth, who prepared it for Bruce Wayne and brought it to him in the Batcave as the World’s Greatest Detective was trying to foil The Penguin’s plan against Gotham City, just as I’m teaching you to make it today. I’ve added miso to this classic recipe, which nods to Bruce Wayne's training in the Far East under Ra's Al Ghul, blending tradition with a bit of Batman's own global journey.

For more information on the Straz production of Michael Uslan's book, The Boy Who Loved Batman, click here.

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"The Alfred Pennyworth" Miso Onion Vichyssoise

Ingredients

• 8 onions, halved and trimmed
• 7 tbsp unsalted butter, plus extra for sweating leeks (for miso onions)
• 3 ½ oz white miso paste
• 4 cups warm water
• 8 leeks (white parts only), cleaned and thinly sliced
• 2 medium potatoes, diced into small cubes
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 cups heavy cream
• bouquet garni (bay leaf, thyme, parsley)
• pinch nutmeg
• salt and pepper, to taste
• fresh chives, finely chopped (for garnish)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 465° F.
2. Place onion halves cut side down in large baking tray.
3. Whisk together butter, white miso paste, and 4 cups warm water until smooth. Pour over onions, cover with foil, and bake 35 minutes.
4. Remove foil, flip onions, and baste with liquid. Return to oven uncovered and continue to baste every 10 minutes for 45-50 minutes, until onions are golden and soft.
5. Once done, purée onions in blender with some cooking liquid to achieve smooth consistency. Set aside.
6. In large pot, melt additional butter over medium-low heat. Sweat sliced leeks for about 5 minutes without browning.
7. Add diced potatoes and cook for a couple more minutes, then pour in stock.
8. Add bouquet garni and simmer 35 minutes, until leeks and potatoes are soft.
9. Allow soup to cool slightly, then purée in batches in blender.
10. Return puréed soup to pot, mix in heavy cream, nutmeg, and season with salt and pepper. Heat through for 5 minutes.
11. Add miso onion purée to soup, stir to combine, and simmer for additional 5–10 minutes.
12. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
13. Optionally, chill soup or serve warm.
14. Garnish with chives and serve with Baked Herb and Garlic Croutons (see recipe below).

Baked Herb and Garlic Croutons

Ingredients

• 1 loaf Italian bread or other hearty white bread
• 2 large garlic cloves, peeled and sliced lengthwise
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• ½ tsp salt, plus additional for sprinkling
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 365° F with rack positioned in middle.
2. Slice bread into ½" cubes for total of 7–8 cups. Set aside bread cubes; you may not need entire loaf.
3. In saucepan, combine garlic, oregano, basil, thyme, ½ tsp salt, black pepper, and olive oil. Bring to simmer over medium heat and let simmer 5 minutes. Then, remove from heat and discard garlic slices.
4. Place bread cubes in large mixing bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and herb mixture, stirring and tossing to coat evenly.
5. Spread coated bread cubes onto ungreased baking sheet.
6. Bake bread cubes on middle rack for 10 minutes.
7. If using Parmesan cheese, sprinkle over bread cubes and continue baking another 5–7 minutes or until croutons are golden and starting to crisp up.
8. Remove croutons from oven, sprinkle with additional salt to taste, and allow to cool.
9. Store cooled croutons in airtight container at room temperature. They will remain fresh for about one week.

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