Wednesday, March 25, 2009
McClatchy Newspapers
If you wonder why French cooking enjoys such enduring popularity, consider today’s soup.
This humble combination of bread, cheese, onions and broth — once the early-morning breakfast of purveyors at the old Les Halles market in Paris — is a classic.
You may not even need to go to the store in order to make onion soup gratinee.
What you do need is time and patience.
The onions must cook slowly at very low temperature in order to be transformed from sharp and pungent to sweet and delicate.
Here are more tips:
UAdding salt and a pinch of sugar to the onions promotes browning. Our recipe incorporates Julia Child’s trick of covering the pan for the first 10 minutes to soften the onions more quickly.
UComte cheese, available in specialty markets and some supermarkets, melts to perfection and is sweet, nutty and faintly tangy. If you must substitute, use Emmentaler or Gruyere.
UThis soup is a great use for a dry, day-old baguette. Cutting the slices on the diagonal allows them to fit more easily into the bowls.
UMany recipes call for placing the bread in the bottom of the bowl. I prefer placing it on top so it is moistened by broth from below and crusted with cheese above.
UThis soup can be messy to eat, so provide diners with large napkins and ample-sized spoons. And be sure to place the hot bowls on plates to prevent damage to your dining table.
SOUPE A L’OIGNON GRATINEE
(French Onion Soup)
Toast the baguette slices in a 300-degree oven for 5 to 10 minutes. The deep, rich flavors of the soup work well with a big chardonnay like Napa Cellars’ 2007.
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
81‚Ñ2 cups thinly sliced yellow onions (5 or 6 medium onions)
1‚Ñ2 teaspoon salt
Pinch sugar
4 garlic cloves, minced
11‚Ñ2 cups dry white wine
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
8 cups homemade or low-sodium canned stock (beef, chicken or vegetable), chilled
Salt, pepper and cayenne
12 (1/4-inch) baguette slices, cut on the diagonal, toasted
3 cups grated Comte cheese
Heat the butter over medium heat in a Dutch oven or other large, heavy-bottomed pot. Stir in the onions, salt and sugar. Cover the pot, reduce heat to low and cook 10 minutes, until onions are soft. Uncover and cook until onions are a dark caramel color, 40 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in garlic and cook 2 minutes. Stir in wine and cook until it evaporates, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in flour and cook 2 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the cold stock. Return the pan to the heat and bring soup to a boil. Reduce to low and simmer, covered, 30 minutes. Taste and season as needed with salt, pepper and cayenne.
Ladle the soup into six oven-safe bowls. Top each with a toasted baguette slice and 1‚Ñ2 cup cheese. Place the bowls on a rimmed baking sheet, place under the broiler and cook until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly, about 10 minutes. Makes 6 servings.