recipe: french onion soup

for this week's 16sept,2011 fridaynightdinnerbox dish, the beef stock took a week to make, daily improving it, then simply butter/thyme/salt/a little white wine. oh, & time. what an utterly exquisite, sweet delicious moment, that first taste; it fair sets the mind alight, the sheer possibilities that dwell within such simplicity


the recipe:
-brown/white/table onions: peel & slice a good number of onions. opinions differ on the final consistency of this soup, some puree & some do not, i do not so i'm quite particular about the cutting of the onions, as this will be visible at the end:
slice in 1/2 length ways, thru the tip&heel of the onion, then cut across the grain in even, fairly fine slices. 

-butter: put a good sized lump of butter in a good sized pot, with a lid. warm the pot, melt the butter, then put in the sliced onion. (to 6 or 7 large onions i'd use roughly 50g of butter)

-bay/thyme/salt: sprinkled over the onion, mixed thru, sweat the onions (lid on) for about 20 minutes. by this time they should become soft, sweet & translucent

-flour: a small handful of flour sprinkled over evenly, i use an organic stone ground flour, or buckwheat flour is also a nice choice

-beef stock/white wine (1litre/125ml): heated separately in another saucepan, then pour a little over the onions, stirring in gently to make a smooth paste with the flour, taking care to leave no lumps, the onions are well covered.

-simmer this on a gentle heat for 1/2 an hour or more, checking the consistency, not too thick not too thin.

to serve, slice some good sourdough croutons & grill with some cheese over the top, to lay on top of the soup itself. i grated parmesan this time only because thats all that was left in my fridge this week, but gruyere cut into little pieces is more traditional. elizabeth david's advice leans toward an aversion to german cheese substitutes; "german emmental", for example, "is a cheese which is expensive, smells of drains & is marketed in wrapped wedges so you do not find this out until you get it home -& in consistence is more suitable for mending tyres than for the cooking pot" ('exigez le veritable cheddar francais')

sounds simple, & it is, which means that the quality of yr choice of ingredients is paramount. organic simply tastes better. but the stock is what makes this dish; take the time to get it right. see the next post for recipe/method of a good beef stock.