Daring Kitchen: From Stock to Soup

Peta, of the blog Peta Eats, was our lovely hostess for the Daring Cook’s September 2011 challenge, “Stock to Soup to Consommé”. We were taught the meaning between the three dishes, how to make a crystal clear Consommé if we so chose to do so, and encouraged to share our own delicious soup recipes!

This month’s challenge, I will admit, did not excite me.  I had already made stock (see here), so I had to mull over whether I would be participating this month.  As I read through the recipes Peta provided, I decided to do it, because then I could make @WineGuyTO his favourite: French Onion soup.

I used Michael Smith’s recipe, which was easy to cut down for just 2 people.  The only changes I made was cognac for the brandy, because, though our liquor cabinet is very well stocked, we somehow had no brandy.

So, I need to work on the bread and cheese part.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 5 large onions, peeled and sliced thinly
• Splash of water
• Salt

The Soup

• 1/2 cup brandy
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 6 cups Homemade Chicken Broth (recipe from this episode)
• Salt and pepper
• 4 slices  multi-grain bread, cut into rounds to fit bowls, toasted
• 2 cups Swiss, Gruyère or Emmenthal cheese, grated

Directions

Michael Smith’s French Onion Soup

1. Toss the butter, oil, onions and water into a large soup pot with a few pinches of salt.
2. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and let the onions soften over a medium high heat, about 10 minutes.
3. When the water has evaporated, remove the lid, turn heat to low and begin to slowly caramelize onions, stirring frequently. This will take about one hour.

The Soup

1. When the onions are a deep golden colour and have shrunk dramatically, add the brandy, thyme and broth.
2. Season with salt and pepper and let simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Preheat your oven’s broiler. Ladle the soup into 4 onion soup or ovenproof bowls and fit a slice of toast over each bowl.
4. Sprinkle each evenly with the cheese and place bowls onto a baking sheet.
5. Place under the broiler and broil until the soup is bubbling and the tops are golden brown.