It is
National French Onion Soup Day. Let's make some before the cool weather ends completely. The story behind the dark, slightly sweet, aromatic onion soup, served in a crock with a cap of cheese on a floating crouton, was that it was first served in Les Halles, the gigantic marketplace that once was in the center of Paris. Like all such markets, it opened very early in the morning, and it could be cold. One of the vendors began cooking an onion soup covered with enough cheese to keep the soup from cooling quickly. The cheese would re-seal itself after every incursion of the spoon. (So it's wrong to eat the cheese first, at least if you want to be entirely traditional.) Although French onion soup lends itself to cold weather eating, it's pretty good all the time.
Courtesy of Tom Fitzmorris
www.nomenu.com My Bride has a KILLER French Onion Soup recipe. Takes a little TLC Time but well worth it.
I'll show you mine if you show me yours!
GRAMMY’S FRENCH ONION SOUP 3 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons oil
6 cups thinly sliced yellow onions (2 lbs.)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar
3 Tablespoons flour
7 (14 oz) cans of beef broth
1 cup red
cooking wine (can be found in the salad dressing & vinegar isle)
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried sage
Salt & Pepper to taste
Up to 1 Tablespoon instant beef bouillon granules if you want a stronger beefy taste
Choice of cheese – gruyere, provolone, parmesan, etc
Croutons or French bread slices
DIRECTIONS:
Melt butter with oil in heavy 6 qt. pan. Add onions & stir. Cover pan & cook over
moderately low heat for 15 – 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until onions are tender &
translucent. Uncover pan, raise heat to moderately hot, and stir in salt & sugar. Cook 30
minutes, stirring frequently until onions are rich brown color. Do not let them burn.
Lower heat to moderate, stir in flour. Add a bit more butter if flour doesn’t stir into a
paste with the onions. Cook slowly stirring constantly for 2 minutes to brown the flour
lightly.
Slowly pour in about a cup of hot broth stirring to make sure it blends well. Add
remaining broth & wine, bay leaves, sage and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes.
Season to taste with salt, pepper, and instant bouillon.
If not serving immediately, let uncovered & reheat when ready. Cover to refrigerate.
Float bread & top with cheese. Bake @ 350 until cheese bubbles & slightly brown (about
5-10 minutes). Watch carefully so it doesn’t burn.
Another way to serve is to ladle it into oven proof bowls & add cheese. Top with circle of
puff pastry dough big enough to fit over the top of bowl. Press the pastry down around
the bowl to seal it tight. Cut 1 small slit in the top. Bake @ 450 for 15 minutes – until top
is puffed & golden brown. Serve immediately.
