French Onion Soup

French Onion Soup


One of the tastiest, most comforting soups I can think of is French Onion Soup. With bubbling Swiss cheese covering a rich, beefy broth full of caramelized onions, it really hits the spot. All too often however I get a really bad version of this classic soup at restaurants. Sometimes the broth is like brine, and way too salty. Other times there is no broth to speak of, just big soggy croutons underlying a bland mild cheese that is definitely not Swiss or Gruyere...or even an aged cheddar.

I know when I'm eating a really good French Onion Soup. The broth does not have to be homemade from scratch (although that would be an excellent bonus), but it can not be from a bouillon cube. The onions do have to be cooked low and slow to get the proper canalization, and there should be a je ne sais quois, a little extra depth of flavor in the broth. In classic versions of the recipe, this extra body usually comes from the addition of dry sherry or cognac, but I've also seen red wine added instead. To make this dish my own as I often like to do, I used beer...and not just any beer. I chose the straggler from my Saranac Beer Fall variety pack, the Bavarian Black Forest beer. The carmel malts and the dark creamy texture of the beer were the perfect compliment to the sweetness of the onions and the richness of the beef broth. The overall flavor of the soup was spectacular. I served the soup to my wife and she did not know there was beer in there, but knew there was a secret something extra providing complexity to the soup.

Here is my recipe....enough to fill 4 French Onion Soup crocks.

In a large, heavy bottomed pot or Dutch Oven, heat:
3 Tbsp butter and 3Tbsp olive oil over a medium-low heat

Add:
5 medium sized yellow onions, sliced thin.
Saute slowly for 15 minutes, making sure the onions do not burn.


Add:
2 cloves of garlic minced
A pinch of dried thyme and summer savory

Continue to slow cook the onions and garlic over a low-medium heat until the onions develop a brown color, about another 20 minutes.

Deglaze the pot by adding 1 cup of dark beer.

Increase the heat to high to cook off the alcohol and bring the mixture to a boil.

Add 4 cups of beef broth (carton/canned is fine...low sodium) and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes.

While the soup is simmering away, grate a pile of good Swiss of Gruyere cheese (classic) and cut 4 slices of fresh French bread. Toast the bread before assembling the soup.

Once the soup is cooked, taste for seasoning. Add some black pepper and salt as needed. Distribute the soup amongst 4 crocks, top each crock with a piece of the toasted bread, and top off with a small handful of the grated cheese. Place in a hot oven or under the broiler until the cheese is browning and bubbling.

Serve right away and enjoy.

Beer Battered Onion Rings with Spicy Dip

One of my favorite guilty pleasures is onion rings. To utilize the beer of the month, India Beer, in a recipe, I wanted to share one of my favorites for deep fried, beer battered onion rings. These onion rings serve up crisp and lite, with a savory batter covering the tender sweet onions. I serve them up with a spicy chipotle chili-lime mayo.

My inspiration for these bad boys came from one of my favorite places to get "pub grub" in St. John's, Newfoundland...Greensleeves on George Street. In my opinion, Greensleeves serves up the best onion rings around, and I love their spice tossed chicken wings too. The onion rings there have a batter that is almost orange in color, a result of adding what I believe is their chicken wing seasoning to the batter. The flavor is unique, and to me, tastes like a combination of seasoned salt with a dash of curry powder. Here's my version.


Beer Battered Onion Rings

For deep frying, you will need either a deep fryer, or a deep, heavy bottomed pot with a thermometer. If using the latter, extra caution needs to be taken as the oil can overheat and ignite. Cook over a med to medium heat, and keep a watchful eye on your temperature. Never try this after getting home with a buzz on from the bar!

The Onions

Peel and remove the ends from two large Vidalia onions (or other sweet onion).
Slice onions into rings about 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick, and separate the rings (save the tiny inner pieces for a later use)
Add the rings to a large bowl add soak in water or milk

Make the batter

The Batter

In a bowl, combine with a whisk:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp seasoned salt (such as Lawry's)
Dash of cayenne pepper
Whisk dry ingredients to incorporate well, and slowly add
about 1 cup of cold India Beer (or other lager beer)

My trick for proper thickness of the batter is to dip my fingers in, watch the batter drip off until I see my fingers through the batter. A two second count is ideal (3 seconds for battering fish).

The Onion Rings

Preheat the oil (vegetable or canola oil works great) to 375 degrees (you'll need at least 4 inches of oil)
Pour some extra flour into a third bowl and set up an assemble line, as you'll need to fry the rings in small batches.

Pick a few rings out of the milk at a time, dredge in the flour and shake off the excess, and add to the batter. Let the excess batter drip away and slowly add to the hot oil one at a time. Using chop sticks (or similar device), keep the rings separated, and use the sticks to flip once brown on one side. Try not to over crowd the pot/fryer. When onion rings are golden brown all over, remove from the oil and let drain on a wire rack over a baking sheet. Season immediately with kosher salt or seasoned salt, and keep in a warm oven. Continue cooking the rest of the rings. Rings should cook in 3-4 minutes.

Chipotle Chili-Lime Mayo

In a small food processor or using a hand immersion blender, combine until smooth;
1 cup of mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
juice and zest of one lime
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1/2 tsp ancho chili powder

Great for dipping the onion rings in. Refrigerate unused mayo and use on your favorite sandwich, wrap or burger!

Enjoy.