You may know it as French Onion Soup, but I really don't see what's French about it. It's been recorded as a meal since Roman times, though France's King Louis was the one who made it famous. And, the grande dame of French cooking, Julia Child, ate it shortly before she passed away. Sorry to be a Debbie Downer, let's get on with my version, which I'll call Autumn Onion Soup:This is a dish you can get going in about 15 minutes, then leave on the stove for another hour and go do something else, so forget everything you've heard about it being time-consuming.
Chop one yellow onion, one red onion and two shallots. Throw them into a large pot with two tablespoons of unsalted butter and cook on high for ten minutes, stirring frequently.
When the onions are brownish, and the edges are even darker, turn the heat to medium and add another tablespoon of unsalted butter and stir to melt.
As soon as the butter melts, add two tablespoons of flour. Stir rapidly, making sure flour is completely absorbed and that the mixture doesn't rest on the bottom of the pot for too long.
Stir in 1/2 cup milk. The mixture should be kind of gummy now. Slowly stir in 1 cup of beef broth and mix until totally blended. Add another cup of beef broth. And, one more. Mix well and turn the heat back up to high. Once it's boiling, cover it and turn the heat to low. Let it simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. About midway through, I like to chop another two shallots and toss them in. A little parsley never hurts, either. Think about layers of flavor, and aromatics.
Now, a word about the garnish. The usual thing is to put a giant crouton (i.e. big piece of toasted bread) on top, cover it with gruyere, and melt it in the oven. This results in a decadent and gooey presentation, but is just a major impediment when you try to eat it. My solution? Regular (home-made of course) croutons, topped with shaved bits of whatever melty cheese you desire. Put the bowls on a cookie sheet, slide it under the broiler for a minute, and slurp.
We had this last night with some awesome bruschetta topped with tomatoes, garlic, basil, balsamic and gorgonzola.
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1 comment:
Oh, we can have a discussion of French Onion soup!!! What's with the milk? I've never had FOS with milk in it before.
Here's the method I use:
In a large dutch oven (at least one gallon), saute in butter, a honking pile of sliced yellow onions (I like them sliced against the ring), along with a couple of red onions, until they are very soft and nicely brown. add a couple of cloves of minced garlic, some thyme, a couple of bay leaves, and a pinch or two of taragon and saute a little longer until the garlic is cooked.
Deglaze with dry sherry and a good red wine. Add equal amounts of chicken and beef broth -- or use only veal broth. Bring to the boil, then simmer for at least 45 minutes. Adjust seasoning (more herbs, S&P...). Don't bother with the croutons and cheese. I don't care if it's traditional -- it's just gilding the lily!
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