French Onion Soup

Noncooks think it's silly to invest two hours'

work in two minutes' enjoyment; but if

cooking is evanescent, so is the ballet.

~ Julia Child ~

I have mentioned my dear friend Sara a few times in my blog. She and I share the same love for food and cooking, so whenever she tells me about a recipe that she really liked, I always make sure to pay close attention. She made this French Onion Soup last week and raved about how delicious it was. After looking over the recipe, I decided that there was no question about it - I had to make it! Upon a closer read through, I realized that this recipe is adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child! I love Julia Child!

This recipe does take some time to fix, but it is SO worth it! (Hence the opening quote I posted.) Here are some pictures I took along the way:

 Caramelizing the onions!

 Just before I topped everything with the cheese and stuck it in the oven.

 The final product!

I had a lot of fun making this dinner tonight. I cranked up one of my iHeartRadio channels, which appropriately began to play Frank Sinatra singing April in Paris. I have never been much of a soup person, but I was really blown away with how delicious this soup was! Incredible! The onions were perfectly caramelized, and combined with the beef stock, wine and cheese, there was just so much flavor! I loved having the pieces of French bread in the soup. Baking the soup in the oven at the end made it fantastically  bubbly and gooey, and the bread soaked up the juices wonderfully. Magnifique! 

Although this recipe does take some time to fix (it took me 2 hours from beginning to end), it is not only incredibly worth it, but it also really doesn't take much effort on your part! Caramelizing the onions doesn't take more than slicing them up and then stirring them in the pot as needed, and then you just have to pour the rest of the ingredients in there and let it simmer and do it's thing! Ok, so you have to grate some cheese and slice some bread (geez!), but that is just about it! Before you know it, you have yourself a delicious masterpiece you can be proud of.

I highly recommend you read the blog that this recipe came from. She wrote a great post to go along with the recipe! To quote her, "...raises the soup beyond the everyday, without making it too difficult to whip up almost any day. Which I promise will happen when you realize the staggering gap between effort and outcome that Child's onion soup manages to bridge." 

Be sure to go ahead and make this soup before the weather begins to warm up and you won't feel like having soup anymore! (Although, after realizing how amazing this soup is, I'd be happy eating it on a 100° summer day!) :-) 

Onion Soup [Soupe à l'Oignon]

Recipe quoted from: http://smittenkitchen.com/2011/04/french-onion-soup/

Adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking

1 1/2 pounds (about 5 cups) thinly sliced yellow onions

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon table salt, plus additional to taste

1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar (helps the onions to brown)

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 quarts (8 cups) beef or other brown stock

1/2 cup dry white wine or dry white vermouth

Freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons cognac or brandy (optional)

To finish [Gratinée] (Optional)

1 tablespoon grated raw onion

1 to 2 cups (to taste) grated Swiss or a mixture of Swiss and Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon butter, melted

12-16 1-inch thick rounds French bread, tasted until hard

1. Melt the butter and oil together in the bottom of a 4- to 5-quart saucepan or Dutch oven over moderately low heat. Add the onions, toss to coat them in oil and cover the pot. Reduce the heat to real low and let them slowly steep for 15 minutes. They don't need your attention; you can even go check your email.

2. After 15 minutes, uncover the pot, raise the heat slightly and stir in the salt and sugar. Cook onions, stirring frequently, for 30 to 40 minutes until they have turned an even, deep golden brown. Don't skimp on this step, as it will build the complex and intense flavor base that will carry the rest of the soup. Plus, from here on out, it will be a cinch.

3. After the onions are fully caramelized, sprinkle them with flour and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the wine in full, then stock, a little at a time, stirring between additions. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and simmer partially covered for 30 to 40 more minutes, skimming if needed. Correct seasonings if needed but go easy on the salt as the cheese will add a bit more saltiness and I often accidentally overdo it. Stir in the cognac, if using. 

4. Set aside until needed. I find that homemade onion soup is so deeply fragrant and flavor-rich that it can stand alone, but that doesn't mean we don't enjoy the graitinéed top once in a while. Here's how to pull if off:

5. Preheat oven to 325°F. Arrange six ovenproof soup bowls or rocks on a large, foil-lined baking sheet. Bring the soup back to a boil and divide among six bowls. To each bowl, add 1/2 teaspoon grated raw onion and a tablespoon of grated cheese. Stir to combine. Dab your croutons with a tiny bit of butter and float a few on top of your soup bowls, attempting to cover it. Mound grated cheese on top of it; how much use will be up to you.

6. Bake soups on tray for 20 minutes, then preheat broiler. Finish for a minute or two under the broiler to brown the top lightly. Grab pot holders, and serve immediately.