Ah, I have discovered two French Onion Soups here on Instructables - a quickie and a slowie. This Instructable is for extra slow soup.
"But, Abelman," you are saying, "Why should we make your French Onion Soup?"
Because it is delicious. I love French Onion soup, which means it must be good. Case: My failed food blog. You realize the truth now? You see how amazing this soup must be?
Why is it called french onion? I don't know. I would guess it is because you french the onions. Rudimentary research (read: my imagination) also shows that the French peasantry would use this soup to utilize an abundance of beef bones and onions.
This is a great soup for impressing the ladies or gentlemen callers that frequent your home because you are all so attractive. It's also fairly simple to make when you've got relatives coming over for a few days. Impress your friends!
This soup freezes well and can be prepped in a microwave.
"But, Abelman," you are saying, "Why should we make your French Onion Soup?"
Because it is delicious. I love French Onion soup, which means it must be good. Case: My failed food blog. You realize the truth now? You see how amazing this soup must be?
Why is it called french onion? I don't know. I would guess it is because you french the onions. Rudimentary research (read: my imagination) also shows that the French peasantry would use this soup to utilize an abundance of beef bones and onions.
This is a great soup for impressing the ladies or gentlemen callers that frequent your home because you are all so attractive. It's also fairly simple to make when you've got relatives coming over for a few days. Impress your friends!
This soup freezes well and can be prepped in a microwave.
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Signing UpStep 1: INGREDIENTS!
To achieve an amazing gourmet flavor, use only the best ingredients. Purists will tell you that anything other than homemade beef stock is garbage. Homemade stock adds that (french phrase meaning "I don't know") to your soup.
If you have the time, you definitely ought to make your own stock (this is Instructables, after all) but I'm using it from a can/box combo. That Said, here is what you need. (I apologize I do not have a mise en place photo, but I realized this would make a good Instructable as I was cutting the onions. And if you don't know what an onion is, you have far more to learn than this Instructable will provide.)
Food:
Onions! Six or so largish ones. About the size of a grapefrut. I use a mix of yellow and red because I like yellow and red. These are the onions that have some sweetness to them, which is what you want in the soup. The color won't matter in the very end, so its all a taste issue.
Butter: If you're bothering to chef it and you're using canned broth, use the real butter. Oil works well, too, but you need one with a high smoke point and that can sometimes equal less flavor. Of course, a good oil means your dish can be more vegetarian friendly. Which is a nice thing. You only need three tablespoons, but you can add more if you want to.
Salt! I use Kosher because I like for people to think I am fancy. You'll only need about a tablespoon so if you are using "normal" salt, kick this back to about a teaspoon.
Beef Stock - try to make sure you have stock, not broth. I find stock tastes way better. Any commenter can respond with the science if they want - I would be interested. You'll need about four cups.
Any Stock: Can work. Tradition calls for the beef kind, but there's nothing wrong with chicken if you've got it or even vegetable - this dish can easily be vegan if you want it to.
Wine: White, red, whatever! If you're like me (and if you are, we should totally hang out - I need non-baby/wife companionship) then you have a bottle of wine your wife drinks a glass out of and forgets about because she's on call and can't drink. My poor wife :( But it leaves me with lots of wine for cooking, and it tastes great! You only need a cup, so you can always open a fresh bottle if you're that type. Just remember you're working with blazing hot metal as you drink.
Herbage: Parsely, sage, rosemary, thyme? Definitely some thyme. It is great stuff. I use the dried, but fresh would be terrific as well. I find dried is really not too different in a soup preparation so long as it's not too old. You'll want a bay leaf, fo-sho. That's my choice for this particular dish, but it won't suffer if you love the flavor of tarragon or other herbs.
Baguette: A nice crusty loaf. You should totally make one yourself. They can be had at a lot of grocery stores these days near the checkout, and they work well - but homemade bread is amazingly easy.
Cheese: Gruyere is a great choice. I don't have it, so I'm using shredded mozzarella. I know, right? You can make your own mozzarella, if you really want to. Toss a little parmesean on as well.
OTHERSTUFF
A big ol' Dutch Oven or oven safe pot with a tight fitting lid. We're baking/roasting these onions. Cool, eh?
Oven proof crocks: These can be large ramekins or cool ceramic bowls. They just need to be able to withstand broiling temperatures.
Some helpful Instructables (For you Extreme DIYers - Someday I will join you):
Make Baguettes
Grow Herbs
Make Mozzarella
Beef Stock
Make Wine
Make Butter
Grow Onions
(Note: I don't know these folks, but I thought some readers might like to really make it all for themselves, and so found these. They will help make your slow soup even slower)
If you have the time, you definitely ought to make your own stock (this is Instructables, after all) but I'm using it from a can/box combo. That Said, here is what you need. (I apologize I do not have a mise en place photo, but I realized this would make a good Instructable as I was cutting the onions. And if you don't know what an onion is, you have far more to learn than this Instructable will provide.)
Food:
Onions! Six or so largish ones. About the size of a grapefrut. I use a mix of yellow and red because I like yellow and red. These are the onions that have some sweetness to them, which is what you want in the soup. The color won't matter in the very end, so its all a taste issue.
Butter: If you're bothering to chef it and you're using canned broth, use the real butter. Oil works well, too, but you need one with a high smoke point and that can sometimes equal less flavor. Of course, a good oil means your dish can be more vegetarian friendly. Which is a nice thing. You only need three tablespoons, but you can add more if you want to.
Salt! I use Kosher because I like for people to think I am fancy. You'll only need about a tablespoon so if you are using "normal" salt, kick this back to about a teaspoon.
Beef Stock - try to make sure you have stock, not broth. I find stock tastes way better. Any commenter can respond with the science if they want - I would be interested. You'll need about four cups.
Any Stock: Can work. Tradition calls for the beef kind, but there's nothing wrong with chicken if you've got it or even vegetable - this dish can easily be vegan if you want it to.
Wine: White, red, whatever! If you're like me (and if you are, we should totally hang out - I need non-baby/wife companionship) then you have a bottle of wine your wife drinks a glass out of and forgets about because she's on call and can't drink. My poor wife :( But it leaves me with lots of wine for cooking, and it tastes great! You only need a cup, so you can always open a fresh bottle if you're that type. Just remember you're working with blazing hot metal as you drink.
Herbage: Parsely, sage, rosemary, thyme? Definitely some thyme. It is great stuff. I use the dried, but fresh would be terrific as well. I find dried is really not too different in a soup preparation so long as it's not too old. You'll want a bay leaf, fo-sho. That's my choice for this particular dish, but it won't suffer if you love the flavor of tarragon or other herbs.
Baguette: A nice crusty loaf. You should totally make one yourself. They can be had at a lot of grocery stores these days near the checkout, and they work well - but homemade bread is amazingly easy.
Cheese: Gruyere is a great choice. I don't have it, so I'm using shredded mozzarella. I know, right? You can make your own mozzarella, if you really want to. Toss a little parmesean on as well.
OTHERSTUFF
A big ol' Dutch Oven or oven safe pot with a tight fitting lid. We're baking/roasting these onions. Cool, eh?
Oven proof crocks: These can be large ramekins or cool ceramic bowls. They just need to be able to withstand broiling temperatures.
Some helpful Instructables (For you Extreme DIYers - Someday I will join you):
Make Baguettes
Grow Herbs
Make Mozzarella
Beef Stock
Make Wine
Make Butter
Grow Onions
(Note: I don't know these folks, but I thought some readers might like to really make it all for themselves, and so found these. They will help make your slow soup even slower)
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In response to the intro's ponderings, we Americans know French Onion Soup the way we do because of a 1907 recipe written by Ali-Bab in "Gastronomie Pratique".
Craig Claiborne of the New York Times popularized the recipe by publishing it in the Time in 1974, when Gastronomie Pratique was translated into English.
This link contains a re-cap of its American origin: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/11/magazine/11food.t.html?pagewanted=all&_moc.semityn.www
In French, the soup simply translates to "Soup of Grated Onions".
And it is delicious :)
et bon appétit !
You don't want to "fry" you want to "sweat." Even on the stovetop, they need to cook slowly - it can take over forty minutes to an hour. There's no real way to speed it up. The oven method makes it a little easier to get all the moisture out without having to stir all the time - you could set and forget.
I wonder if a crock pot could work? It may braise - but if the lid was ajar it could work and it would be a bit safer than leaving the oven on. Of course, you'd want to transfer for final carmelization.
A lot of larger megamarts have little signs by their produce describing it, which is how I picked these particular onions.
Maybe we are alike, as you've asked. Holler the next time you're in Madison, WI and we'll go out for a beer or three. (non-kid/wife time ranks high my my list, also)
*grins*
And now, really, to the question:
When selecting the onions, you mentioned using red and yellow, but the ones that have "sweetness" to them. Are these vidalia onions, or just your average yellows? Alton has taught me all about what makes Vidalia onions special, but what I'm wondering is which you think is better in the soup?
Cheers!
I did a quick research, and it seems that what I used were not Vidalias, but they should work. You'll just need more of them. I regret I don't have the weight, but if they fill the pot, you should be good to go.
I personally prefer red onions for any onion-related applications, but I am quite biased as I am extremely picky about my onion. I am no onion expert, though. Alton can always be trusted in my book.
I love Madison. I went to school in MI's UP at NMU and we picked a guy up there travelling to Milwaukee - beautiful downtown.
Put down a layer of onion, sprinkle with salt add a pinch of sugar. Add another layer of onion rinse and repeat.
I absolutly love onions and onion soup! I think you would know if you used vidalias, they are so sweet you can eat them like an apple. I like using large spanish onions for soup, its more pungent to begin with but cooks down and carmelizes sooooo nicely. I never thought about using red onions though, I 'll have to remember that. Half a toasted english muffin makes a good topper (Imho) Depending on my mood, and whats in the frig, I like blu cheese, pepperjack or a nice sharp white cheddar cheese.
Nicely done "ible"
It's so good I will make this over and over and over again. Thank you for sparking the hunger in me :)
Does it matter what Kind of Wine you use as far as taste goes? Red, White, Soft, Sweet? Can Brandy or Gin (Or Vodka) be used to De-glaze?
chacun à son goût as the French say. I say go traditional at first. Red wine with beef. Try other combos to Taste
I've also seen brandy, sherry, and cider, or a mix of both. If you like it, it will probably work well.
M
3 tablespoons butter and about a cup of wine. You can add more or less depending on your preference.
Incidentally, I have found that Oxtails makes a superior stock. I learned that from Pho, which calls for Oxtail stock. A further benefit to using the oxtails is that once a very good stock is made, the bones still have much life in them. Add a can of crushed tomatoes and the other necessary ingredients, let it simmer for a couple of hours and you're well on your way to sauce Bolognaise.
Please keep making Instructables!