Saturday, March 3, 2012

Soupe gratinée à l'oignon




  • Make beef stock (or don't). I did and it made me immeasurably happy.
  • Slice four onions.
  • Fry onions in two tbsp each of olive oil and butter. Keep the temperature highish for ten to fifteen.
  • But! Don't let them catch and go crispy. You must teach them how to colour patiently. Turn the cooker down and let them ooze and whistle for a good half an hour. Add some thyme if you have.
  • Meanwhile put a slice of baguette or pain de campagne (per person) in the oven to dry out and crisp up. Let's go crazy and call this a croûton. Also, grate a truckload of Gruyère.
  • Add two pints of beef stock to the onions, bring to the boil them simmer super gently for an hour.
  • Season.
  • Dive in.
  • Put a crouton in your serving bowl then ladle soup on top.  Cover it with cheese. 
  • Put your bowls on a tray and place it as close as you can under a really hot grill until it looks like it might explode.
  • Jump up and down with excitement.

What did it taste like? What an exceptional combination. Well done France.

Tips: 
  1. For my croûtons, I chose a loaf of bread with the same diameter as my soup bowl so I could obtain croûton nirvana :)
  2. Put onions in your serving bowl first, then the crouton, then more liquid. That way your crouton gets juicy without getting drowned.
  3. Photographing it extensively when it's ready is the only way to avoid stripping your mouth of all sensitive tissue.



3 comments:

  1. KUB OR/beef stock is necessary here.
    Its cheese is its last minute
    only serve tout suite
    only eat tout suite too.

    Great for hangovers and my favorite follow up to roast chicken.

    Thanks, Denise. Gonna follow your wicked recipe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You eat roast chicken followed by onion soup? I'm with you on that, forget dessert...

      Delete
  2. Looks orgasmically good! Gonna definitely try this one, having heard all the build up before publication my tastebuds are screaming for this!

    ReplyDelete