French onion soup

[Corey123]

I've made French Onion Soup many times and yes, the secret to successfully browned onions IS to cook them slow until the water is evaporated.

The carmelizing process starts then. And it takes lots of onions to do this. The large yellow Spanish onions are a good choice for this type of soup, eliminating the chore of having to peel and slice all those little onions!

 

[mish]

Interesting thread reading about the different methods of making onion soup. I used to think adding sugar to the onions were part of the 'caramelization' process, but actually it's about sauteeing the onions (in butter/olive oil) as they release the sugar and the caramelization takes place. Here's a better description:

http://www.ehow.com/how_12751_caramelize-onions.htm

To make the onion soup even more interesting, use several different kinds of onions -- Cipollini, Green Onions, Red Onions, Shallots, Spanish, Sweet, Vidalia, White & Yellow.

 

[Corey123]

Sorry, but the link doesn't work.

Anyway, yes you're right about the sugar in the oinions. It IS released during the carmelization process.

 

[Constance]

I'm making onion soup for the first time tonight...I've always meant to try it, just never got around to it. I thought it would be a nice accompaniment for the fried oysters DH is going to fix.
I've been looking at all kinds of recipes, here and elsewhere, and checked out everyone's advice, and it seems to me that the two most important components of the soup are the caramelized onions and the broth.
Caramelizing the onions will be no problem...I do it all the time, on a smaller scale.
The broth is another thing. Canned broth is all I have available. I have some beef broth, but not enough, and am thinking of adding some chicken broth to it. I've heard that if you mix the two, the taste is similar to veal broth.
I've seen recipes that call for adding Worchester Sauce, Dijon mustard, Kitchen Bouquet, or balsamic vinegar. I have all of those on hand.

Many recipes call for wine or spirits. What I have on hand are burgundy, dry marsala, sherry, and brandy. I probably have some white wine, also. I'm thinking of using the marsala and a shot of brandy.

Please help me with your advice, ASAP, as I have to start slicing onions pretty soon.

 

[BreezyCooking]

Constance - first off, don't worry about using canned broth. I make onion soup all the time, ALWAYS use 100% chicken broth - never any beef broth - & if I don't have homemade on hand, always use the cans &/or cartons of Swanson's chicken broth I always have in the pantry. I've never added worcestershire, mustard, Kitchen Bouquet, or vinegar to my soup (& frankly wouldn't want to - lol!!). The simpler the better.

As far as what spirits to add, the Julia Child recipe I've adapted my recipe from calls for dry white wine & cognac, so from what you've said you have on hand, I'd use the white wine & a shot of brandy.

I'm sure your soup will turn out great! It's nearly impossible to turn out a bad onion soup, regardless of what you use.

 

[Corey123]

If using canned broth, be it beef or chicken, please make shure that you taste
the finished product (you more than likely will) to check on the level of salt that's in the broth.

These canned broths and stocks usually have a ton of salt, and if you add any before tasting the soup, you could be making it unbarably wicked salty.

This has happened to me once, and I've had to water it down some more to ease up the saltiness - ending up with more soup than I planned to make.

 

[Constance]

The soup was delicious. The broth I used was Swansons, which is a brand I like, and I tasted it for saltiness before I ever put it in the soup.
The only problem I had was that I needed more broth for the amount of onions I had. The soup was so thick that by the time I added the croutons and melted the cheese, it was more like an onion casserole than soup.

Kim is going to buy some more broth today, so we can thin it out.

 

[BreezyCooking]

Swanson's is what I use as well. It's never too salty & is so convenient in so many different dishes, as well as just a plain "pick-me-up" instead of a mug of coffee or tea.

 

[bette123]

What sort of meat recipes does anyone have to make to go along with French onion soup?

 

[Andy M.]

What sort of meat recipes does anyone have to make to go along with French onion soup?

We make a meal out of a crock of soup with bread and cheese melted on top. We don't feel the need for meat.

 

[BreezyCooking]

I agree. When I make crocks of onion soup with a nice thick melted cheese/gratineed topping, the only other thing I might serve with it would be a mixed green salad.

I wouldn't be able to eat anything else if I tried.

Now if you were going to serve the onion soup plain without the bread & cheese topping, then you could really serve any type of plain roasted meat dish you liked afterwards.

 

[Andy M.]

You certainly could use a smaller portion as a first course.

 

[Uncle Bob]

What sort of meat recipes does anyone have to make to go along with French onion soup?

Hey bette123!!

Welcome to DC....It's a fun place!

I think most folks eat french onion as a "full meal deal" That being said...it certainly could be used as a soup course for most anything else you enjoy!

Again welcome to DC...Enjoy your stay!!

 

[bette123]

Thanks for the welcome!
We really gotta have our meat! I have a really good recipe for FOS but would like to have some chicken with it or something. I just simply can't think of any way to prepare it the would complement the soup. Plain roasted just doesn't grab me

 

[Nicholas Mosher]

I eat it as a full meal with a salad when cooking for myself, but I almost always serve it as a starter in ramekins when others are over. I love to follow up FOS with something beefy/meaty like a hunk of fridge' aged chateaubriand or boneless rib-roast. Pretty much any meat cooked with a dry cooking method works well as a follow-up.

 

[BreezyCooking]

I agree with Nicholas that the best "meat" followup would be a plain basic roast - either of beef or chicken.

 

[pdswife]

I just add beef to the soup in the first place. It makes it a meal in itself.

 

[Aria]

Soup is a first course for DH. And a small serving please. I can make a hearty soup with Homemade Bread into a meal.

 

[philso]

i just made onion soup for 3 about a week ago. i used 5 large onions, which finally reduced to a golden brown mass about 2/3 the size of my fist.

i always go about half and half on the beef and chicken. i had made both a beef and a chicken glace the day before. i don't know that you'd say it tastes like veal, but it is good.

i just finish the soup with a nice dry sherry. for me, additions like worchestershire sauce, soy sauce, etc. just mask the wonderful taste and savoryness of a well made soup.

the rest of the meal consisted of:

- appetizer of mixed homemade pickled vegetables with prociutto and feta
- onion soup with the gruyere still bubbling when served
- tornedos of chicken breast perigordine(perigeoux?). please don't quote me on the spelling. it's chicken with foie gras and a madeira sauce with truffles. served on a large crouton, with braised greens
- raspberry mousse