French Onion Soup - The most savory substance on earth!

[KurtNYC]

Mmmmmm, French Onion Soup -- Few things in this life are as pleasurable, guilt-free or repeatable. The carmelized onions, the combo of chicken and beef broth, the floating croutons and the melted swiss cheese deliver pure gustatory satisfaction.

The downside is that the meal pales after a soup that darned good.

[matcom]

1. i make it

what is this 'meal' you refer to? :shrug:

my FOS IS a meal!

and no chicken broth for me thanks. 6 cans beef broth, 1 can water, 3 cups good Burgundy is all i require

[bertha katzenengel]

2. Indeed! Try making it w/ vegetable broth sometime.

Different taste, but fab for vegetarians. :9

[XemaSab]

3. How is that guilt free?

Even if you don't care about the poor chickens and the cows, think about bird flu and BSE.... Why do you hate America????





























:P

[Jessica]

4. Soooo good.

I had some at a local Italian restaurant -- and instead of croutons, the top of the bowl was covered with a cheese-filled pastry crust. It was amazing.

[AllegroRondo]

5. anyone have a good recipe?

[matcom]

7. see post #1

but add 2 sliced vadalia onions and pepper

use GOOD bread for crutons and NICE swiss cheese

you are all set.

the longer it simmers, the happier you will be

[Mrs.Matcom]

15. you forgot

your bay leaf....



:hide:

[matcom]

17. LOL!

you are so right my love :D

[Rabrrrrrr]

23. Eschew the Swiss Cheese, and go with a Gruyere!

Even better!

And I don't use croutons, I just pile on the cornflakes!

How long do you cook your onions before adding broth? I do about ten minutes at a low temp. to get 'em all sweated and stuff, then add some sugar and turn the heat up, constantly stirring for about 30 minutes to get 'em nice and carmeled. That's Julia Child's idea.

[KurtNYC]

10. There are many good ones but I like this one

In a stew pot (dutch oven) over high medium heat, saute:
1-1/2 pounds of onions (preferable red and white) sliced thin
1 tblsp butter
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Allow to carmelize but stir frequently to avoid burning. At your option, cook them as dark as you can -- it takes a while to get good color but worth it. The onions will render a brown slurry and you want every drop of that.
After about 30 to 40 minutes, deglaze with:
2 - 4 ounces of your favorite dry red wine (merlot, zin or burgundy)
Use a wooden spoon to loosen the brown fond.

Add:
8 ounces of beef stock (or broth)
2 cans of low sodium chicken broth
bay leaf
small bundle of thyme

Allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Remove bay leaf and thyme.

Serve with croutons and top with a slice of a nutty, aged Swiss cheese like Gruyere. And say "mmmmmmmmmm."

[A HERETIC I AM]

27. WHAT?!?!?! No Cognac?!?!?! No Tarragon?!?!?!?!

GOTTA try it with Cognac and Tarragon.

Sprinkle some Cognac on top of the cheese just before you bake the crocks.

I've made it with Tarragon leaves, fresh ones minced fine and i use a slice of nice french bread toasted with garlic and butter in the bottom of the crock.

Wanna go whole hog? Make your own stock instead of going canned. Truly a labor of love.

And it HAS to have Gruyere.

Yum

[radwriter0555]

18. "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" by Julia Child has a foolproof

and simple recipe.

Very, very simple. 5 cups sliced thin yellow onions, a wee bit of flour, 2 quarts beef stock as the base... Julia really was the master of french cooking at its finest.

[MN ChimpH8R]

6. Gotta have wine in there too

and enough melted cheese to cause an instant coronary. Good eatin'! :9

[AussieDave]

8. I had a nice one at a little French restaurant in NYC

near the hotel I stayed at - it was scrumptious with melted Gruyere (I think) cheese on top. It just set the stage for the rest of the meal, which was also very good.

I'm no gourmet but I thoroughly enjoyed it - a good French Onion soup is divine.

[Vox_Reason]

9. Good french onion soup is one of my very favorite dishes.

Good call on the Gruyere cheese and Vidalia onions. And Burgundy.

Man, I really did NOT need to read this thread. <drool>

All right, folks: post your favorite recipes. I've never made it myself, though I bet it wouldn't be too hard.

A great place to go for some spectacular french onion soup (and plenty more):
http://www.angusbarn.com

It is simply impossible to have a bad meal at the Angus Barn.

[Allenberg]

11. Mouth watering.

:9

[tokenlib]

12. Awesome, but the poor dishwasher....

That cheese sticks worse than grease--amd if you had a pile of those crocks--what a pain in the ass.. :)

[China_cat]

19. That's why you serve it

in a sourdough bread bowl.

[MissMillie]

13. You save room for a meal?

I don't. :silly:

[Arugula Latte]

14. I don't know if you have Trader Joe's on the East Coast

but they sell a delicious frozen version. (No, the cheese crust doesn't come out the same, but it is quite tasty ...)

[radwriter0555]

16. I just made some today actually! It turned out perfectly of course...

delish on a chilly autumn day.

[nickinSTL]

20. Yuck, onions

:puke:
:hide:

[matcom]

21. no, no, no.

these onions are FRENCH! :D

[nickinSTL]

22. they're still ONIONS

n/t

[Vox_Reason]

24. May I offer you some Habanero peppers?

They're my favorite onion substitute!

:evilgrin:

[nickinSTL]

26. that's not really any better...

I'm a picky eater :evilgrin:

[Atlas Mugged]

25. Damn, I wish you hadn't even mentioned it, really

I'm from New Orleans. Now I live in Western New York. On Esplanade Avenue in New Orleans there is/was a marvelous little French restaurat called Cafe Degas up near City Park. I had an Autumn ritual for years of going there just to eat the French Onion Soup on the patio and appreciate Autumn - or what passes for Autumn in the sub tropics. Then I'd take a stroll through some of the cemetaries there and then head for the park, taking in the museum, NOLA, which has one of the finest collections of Impressionistic art in the world, thanks in large to the fact that Degas lived on Esplanade Avenue way-back-when for a while. Then I'd to back to Cafe Degas for another bowl of French Onion Soup. It was quite a walk, really. I did this for years and now that Autumn is hitting the nostalgia is killing me.