To make a great onion soup, you gotta shed a few tears

French Onion Soup 

We probably owe our North American love of French Onion Soup to Julia Child. It became popular in the 60s when her cookbook and TV show brought French cooking here and changed how we ate. (However, not owning her any of her cookbook [quel horreur!] I can't say if she has a recipe in one.)

I remember eating it in the 70s too. I would often order it as an appetizer, but then be too full to eat my main course.

I decided it was time to bring French Onion Soup back to my household's venacular late last year, so I've been hanging onto this amazing recipe by Canadian chef and fellow Maritimer,  Michael Smith,  since then. Smith is the host of his latest Food Network Canada show, Chef at Home, and I've been following it quite religiously.

This recipe takes 5 large onions. Hubby went to get them and I think he actually got giant onions, because this recipe made at least 8 portions, not the 4 it's noted for. I still have enough for one more generous serving in the freezer. I usually find the large onions don't bother me, but then I don't usually slice up 5 at a time. Oh, did my eyes burn!

I decided to use my big, fantastically expensive stock pot (hubby believes in investing in the kitchen, which I can't disagree with (and am happy not to have to fight about).

After an our of simmering, my onions still hadn't browned. Could it be the onions? Did I add too much water? I finally had to give up and move on.

I must confess, I added the brandy, tasted and thought I needed to add something with a bit of tartness. And why would I add vinegar, when I can add red wine (probably a cup by the time I was done) for flavour and some colour at the same time. And sadly, I didn't make my own broth, I simply used organic chicken broth instead. When I used to make this in the 80s I remember the recipe calling for beef broth...

And then it was time to assemble into the real thing.

 

We used Gruyere. I love how it tastes in my nose — like the cheesmaker somehow managed to add white wine to it!

I could have held off for a minute or two longer to get those lovely brown marks on the cheese, but the scent of cheese and onion was more than I could bear!

Come to me, my lovely! Just as always, I was full, satisfied and felt so young again!

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Michael Smith's French Onion Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons oil
5 large onions, peeled and sliced thinly
Splash of water
Salt 
1/2 cup brandy
3 sprigs fresh thyme
6 cups Homemade Chicken Broth (recipe from this episode)
Salt and pepper
4 slices slices multi-grain bread, cut into rounds to fit bowls, toasted
2 cups Swiss, Gruyere or emmenthal cheese, grated

Directions
Toss the butter, oil, onions and water into a large soup pot with a few pinches of salt.

Cover with a tight fitting lid and let the onions soften over a medium high heat, about 10 minutes.
When the water has evaporated, remove the lid, turn heat to low and begin to slowly caramelize onions, stirring frequently. This will take about one hour.

When the onions are a deep golden colour and have shrunk dramatically, add the brandy, thyme and broth.

Season with salt and pepper and let simmer for 15 minutes.

Preheat your oven's broiler. Ladle the soup into 4 onion soup or ovenproof bowls and fit a slice of toast over each bowl.

Sprinkle each evenly with the cheese and place bowls onto a baking sheet.

Place under the broiler and broil until the soup is bubbling and the tops are golden brown.

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Verdict: Despite the fact that the onions didn't caramelize, this was some good soup! After we finished off the cheese (servings 3 and 4) we ate it for a couple of meals without and it was amazingly good! I've got at least one more serving in the freezer, but will wait until the craving hits again before eating it!

Bon Appetit!

Kathy