French Onion Soup

[Margaret Pilgrim]

FWIW, I usually use veal stock and white wine, and when available sweet yellow onions.   But, yes, it does have, as a friend used to say, "authority".

 

Edited to ask, has DW had a French onion soup that she enjoyed?   And can she recollect how it was different from yours?

Edited August 27, 2022 by Margaret Pilgrim (log)

[AlaMoi]

she did, and she liked it, long time ago . . . so details are very fuzzy.

[MaryIsobel]

Making French Onions soup for dinner tonight since I bought a lot of onions yesterday at a farm stand and had a bunch of beef stock in the freezer. I usually use a combo of Ina and Julia’s recipes and adjust the booze to whatever I have on hand (today it's sherry and white wine) but was browsing around this morning and came across what I consider to be a genius idea. Instead of that one big slice of bread, which is hard to break up with a spoon, cut the bread into 2” cubes, toast and proceed as usual. Should be a lot easier to eat with a spoon.🤞 I'll report back.

 

[MaryIsobel]

16 hours ago, MaryIsobel said:

Making French Onions soup for dinner tonight since I bought a lot of onions yesterday at a farm stand and had a bunch of beef stock in the freezer. I usually use a combo of Ina and Julia’s recipes and adjust the booze to whatever I have on hand (today it's sherry and white wine) but was browsing around this morning and came across what I consider to be a genius idea. Instead of that one big slice of bread, which is hard to break up with a spoon, cut the bread into 2” cubes, toast and proceed as usual. Should be a lot easier to eat with a spoon.🤞 I'll report back.

 

Definitely much easier to eat. As mentioned, I toasted the 2" chunks of bread, tossed them on top of the soup, smothered them with some shredded mozzarella, then slices of Swiss and popped them under the broiler. While eating it, my nephew said "why has no one ever thought of this?" I assured him that someone had, as it was not my idea. He thinks it should be the only way french onion soup is made now.

Edited September 23, 2022 by MaryIsobel (log)

[btbyrd]

My secret ingredient in FOS is Minor's Beef Base, which tastes like 95% of the FOS you get at restaurants (because it's in 95% of the FOS you get at restaurants). I make my own beef stock and use the Minors as part of the salt component. (If you buy the low sodium version, you can use more without blowing out your salt levels). More Than Gourmet's demi glace or glace de viande is also good to fortify the broth.

[blue_dolphin]

2 hours ago, MaryIsobel said:

Definitely much easier to eat. As mentioned, I toasted the 2" chunks of bread, tossed them on top of the soup, smothered them with some shredded mozzarella, then slices of Swiss and popped them under the broiler. While eating it, my nephew said "why has no one ever thought of this?" I assured him that someone had, as it was not my idea. He thinks it should be the only way french onion soup is made now.

 

I like it better that way, too.  The toasted croutons keep their crispness longer while the middle of the bread can entirely soggy really fast.  

[Anna N]

16 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

I like it better that way, too.

I just cannot imagine it that way. I want my soup to be almost completely covered by a toasted crouton piled high with Gruyere that has little spots of caramelization and has bubbled over and dripped down the sides of the soup bowl. The meal ends with two well acquainted diners peeling off the cheese drips slowly and contemplatively while finishing the wine. 
that’s not to say that your way isn’t good but it must be obvious that mine is so much better. 🤣

[blue_dolphin]

13 minutes ago, Anna N said:

I just cannot imagine it that way. I want my soup to be almost completely covered by a toasted crouton piled high with Gruyere that has little spots of caramelization and has bubbled over and dripped down the sides of the soup bowl. The meal ends with two well acquainted diners peeling off the cheese drips slowly and contemplatively while finishing the wine. 
that’s not to say that your way isn’t good but it must be obvious that mine is so much better. 🤣

 

That sounds absolutely marvelous!  

I must say that the crouton application that I've enjoyed is quite compatible with that outcome.  The restaurant where I was introduced to FOS served the soup pretty much covered with toasted croutons, piled high with Gruyere with that same caramelization and dripping, molten cheese.  It's just that the croutons (probably 2" square) formed more of a craggy mountainscape than a flatter geography.