This winter has been pretty funky weather wise, alternately cold and temperate. Well today it's not really all that cold, but with the rain, the breeze and the temperature it is one of those situations that chills you to the bone.
This got me thinking "French Onion Soup"!
There are a few dishes that I do not order when I go out to eat because I am routinely disappointed. Creme Brûlée and French Onion Soup are the two main ones. I have trouble not ordering them because I love them so, but I am nearly always bummed out when they arrive because they are not as good as I hoped and I usually can make a better version.
Most of the bowls that I have received in restaurants have either been made with bouillon (over salted broth that usually comes in cubes that are dissolved in water), and nearly all of them seemed more like a broth with onions in it rather than an onion soup.
O-soup should be entirely onions with a little bit of broth that acts as a vehicle for the caramelized onions. It should be loose enough that it can't be called anything but a soup, but just barely.
I have developed the will power to avoid the onion soup primarily because the last really good one I had in a restaurant was probably 10-12 years ago. If anybody knows where to get a great bowl of it, let me know, because currently my house is the only place I go for it!
Here is the recipe for a 3 qt batch of soup:
3 quarts of white or yellow onion cut lyonnaise style
2 large shallots cut lyonnaise style
4 large garlic cloves minced
1/4 # butter
2 quarts chicken stock
1 C Demi glace (if you have it)
1 C Madeira
2 bay leaves
Kosher salt
White pepper
For the topping:
Sliced baguette
Gruyer grated
First let's talk onions. White onions are the best for this soup as they produce the finest end product. Sweet onions and red onions are a no-go. This is why. The white onion is the sharpest of the onions, for that reason they also store the best. This sharpness is a sign of potential sugar. Yellow comes in a close second due to just slightly less potential sugar.
It is the sugar in the onion that gives the soup it's lovely brown color and the rich body that is associated with this classic soup. The important thing to latch onto here is that the soup will be better if you develop the sugar rather than starting with an onion that is already sweet. You will be developing their sugars with the cooking process.
The red and sweet onions have a ton of actual sugar in them and therefore are more volatile in storage. By this I mean their shelf life is limited. Partly because they are a great deal more attractive to our little nemesis the fruit fly and partly because they hold more moisture and are prone to rot. The soup made with these will likely end up as a cloudy, mushy glop that, if not in color, in texture is more akin to congee (a Chinese porridge made from yesterday's rice).
O.K. I've put the soap box away, let's make soup.
Cut you onions in the Lyonnaise style (lengthwise with the grain). If you need instruction on this one see my Knife Skill 101 blog post.
Into your stock pot or large sauce pan melt the butter over medium heat.
Once melted, add the onions, garlic and shallots. Be sure that the onions go in first. It would be a shame to burn the garlic and be on a rescue mission from the get go.
Once the onions are in the pan you need to pay pretty clove attention to them, not so much at first, but once their volume begins to decrease with cooking be sure to stirr them frequently with a wooden spoon. Take care to run the spoon into the corners of the pot so that the accumulating sugars do not burn.
Once you start to see the color of the onions change, this soup requires your full attention.
Continue to cook the onions while incorporating the more caramelized onions with the parts that are less caramelized.
There are short cuts that many use at this time to make the process easier, but the end products not as good, and therefore in my opinion not worth my effort. The most common shortcut is the addition of brown sugar, but why? All the sugar you need is already here!
At this time keep on top of the caramelization, it should be even and becoming quite dark (brown, not black. Black is an indication of bitterness which is not what we seek).
Once the desired color has been reached, deglaze the soup with Madeira. And add the bay leaves.
Cook the Madeira to a point where it is almost dry and add your chicken stock and Demi (if you have it). The Demi is not necessary for this recipe as the lions share of the color of your soup should come from the caramelization of the onions.
Continue to simmer the soup and season with kosher salt and white pepper. Remember, the finished product should resemble a bowl full of onions with some broth to make it loose.
If you have too much liquid, some of your cheese will sink into the broth during the final step.
O.K. The soup is done, time for service! Place a couple of slices of bread on top of you hot soup, cover this with the grated gruyere and place under the broiler until the cheese is melted and just starting to brown.
Pull from the oven and serve.
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