Julia Child French Onion Soup Recipe
***BROWN MEAT STOCK***
3 pounds beef shank meat
3 1/2 pounds beef and veal bones; cracked
(I used oxtail and ossobuco bones to make the stock, at least double the amount of pounds)
2 carrots; scrubbed & quartered
2 peeled onions; halved
2 stalks celery
(½ bell pepper, ½ a leek)
2 teaspoons salt
(ground pepper)
***BOUQUET GARNI***
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf (3)
6 sprigs parsley
(some cilantro)
2 cloves garlic; unpeeled (6)
2 whole cloves
***SOUP***
1 1/2 pound peeled yellow onions; thinly sliced (I used a total of 5 pounds of thinly sliced onions, I mixed yellow, white and red onions)
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar (brown)
3 tablespoons flour (I omitted this ingredient for a lighter soup)
2 quarts stock; boiling (I used about 3.5 to 4 quarts of beef stock)
1/2 cup dry white wine or dry vermouth (did not used it)
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons cognac (I used about 1 to 1.5 cup of brandy)
***CROUTES***
14 slices French bread; cut 3/4-inch thick (1/4-inch)
olive oil (spray)
1 clove garlic; cut
Directions:
BROWN MEAT STOCK
Heat oven to 450 F. Arrange meat, bones, carrots and onions in a roasting pan and place in middle of oven. Turn the ingredients occasionally so they will brown evenly, in 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and drain fat from roasting pan. Transfer the browned ingredients to a soup kettle. Add salt and celery stalks and bouquet garni tied in a cheesecloth:
Add water to just cover and bring to a slow simmer - avoid boiling - and skim any scum that rises to the top as it forms. partially cover leaving a gap of about one inch. Maintain a very slow simmer for 4 to 5 hours. As the liquid level falls below the level of the ingredients top up with boiling water.
Strain the stock into a bowl, allow to cool, and refrigerate over night. Next day remove any fat that has solidified on the surface of the stock. If there is more stock than needed for the soup it may be frozen.
(I just boiled all the meat together with onion and garlic for 2-3 hours, added the rest of the ingredients and simmered for another 2-3 hours until stock is concentrated in flavor, cool down, strained it, refrigerated overnight, and remove fat)
SOUP
To make soup, cook the onions slowly with the butter and oil in a heavy 4-quart (5-quart) covered saucepan for 15 minutes. Uncover pan, raise heat to moderate and stir in salt and sugar.
Cook for 30 to 40 minutes with stirring until the onions have turned an even, deep, golden brown. (I cooked the onions longer, until they get a walnut brown color. They reduce a lot.) Sprinkle in flour and stir for 3 minutes (omitted). Remove from heat and blend in stock, white wine, salt and pepper Simmer partially covered for 30 to 40 minutes, skimming occasionally. Just before serving stir in cognac. (I added haf of the brandy to the onions and let them simmer for a while until almost dry, then add the stock and simmer for at least one hour. Just before serving add the rest of the brandy and adjust salt and pepper to taste )
To make croutes, place the bread in a single layer on a roasting pan and bake for a bout 30 minutes in a 325 F oven. Halfway through baking, baste each side with a little oil. After baking, rub each side with the garlic. (Spray thin sliced breads already rub with garlic with olive oil spray and baked about 3-4 min on each side, place aged Swiss cheese on top and broiled 2-3 minutes to melt).
To serve:
(for a lighter version to serve as a starter just serve hot soup in a bowl and the cheese croutes next to it. You could used the suggestion below if you would like to used the soup as a main dish. Enjoy!)
(i) Pour soup into cups over croutes and garnish with a generous sprinkling of grated Swiss and/or Parmesan cheese; or
(ii) Sprinkle cheese mixture over croutes, melt under broiler and float in the soup bowl just before serving; or
(iii) Float croutes on bowls of soup, sprinkle with cheese mixture and heat in 325 F oven until cheese has melted. Brown under broiler before serving.
Contributor: Mastering the Art of French Cooking - Julia Child et al
This French Onion Soup serves/makes 8
BROWN MEAT STOCK
Heat oven to 450 F. Arrange meat, bones, carrots and onions in a roasting pan and place in middle of oven. Turn the ingredients occasionally so they will brown evenly, in 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and drain fat from roasting pan. Transfer the browned ingredients to a soup kettle. Add salt and celery stalks and bouquet garni tied in a cheesecloth:
Add water to just cover and bring to a slow simmer - avoid boiling - and skim any scum that rises to the top as it forms. partially cover leaving a gap of about one inch. Maintain a very slow simmer for 4 to 5 hours. As the liquid level falls below the level of the ingredients top up with boiling water.
Strain the stock into a bowl, allow to cool, and refrigerate over night. Next day remove any fat that has solidified on the surface of the stock. If there is more stock than needed for the soup it may be frozen.
(I just boiled all the meat together with onion and garlic for 2-3 hours, added the rest of the ingredients and simmered for another 2-3 hours until stock is concentrated in flavor, cool down, strained it, refrigerated overnight, and remove fat)
SOUP
To make soup, cook the onions slowly with the butter and oil in a heavy 4-quart (5-quart) covered saucepan for 15 minutes. Uncover pan, raise heat to moderate and stir in salt and sugar.
Cook for 30 to 40 minutes with stirring until the onions have turned an even, deep, golden brown. (I cooked the onions longer, until they get a walnut brown color. They reduce a lot.) Sprinkle in flour and stir for 3 minutes (omitted). Remove from heat and blend in stock, white wine, salt and pepper Simmer partially covered for 30 to 40 minutes, skimming occasionally. Just before serving stir in cognac. (I added haf of the brandy to the onions and let them simmer for a while until almost dry, then add the stock and simmer for at least one hour. Just before serving add the rest of the brandy and adjust salt and pepper to taste )
To make croutes, place the bread in a single layer on a roasting pan and bake for a bout 30 minutes in a 325 F oven. Halfway through baking, baste each side with a little oil. After baking, rub each side with the garlic. (Spray thin sliced breads already rub with garlic with olive oil spray and baked about 3-4 min on each side, place aged Swiss cheese on top and broiled 2-3 minutes to melt).
To serve:
(for a lighter version to serve as a starter just serve hot soup in a bowl and the cheese croutes next to it. You could used the suggestion below if you would like to used the soup as a main dish. Enjoy!)
(i) Pour soup into cups over croutes and garnish with a generous sprinkling of grated Swiss and/or Parmesan cheese; or
(ii) Sprinkle cheese mixture over croutes, melt under broiler and float in the soup bowl just before serving; or
(iii) Float croutes on bowls of soup, sprinkle with cheese mixture and heat in 325 F oven until cheese has melted. Brown under broiler before serving.
Contributor: Mastering the Art of French Cooking - Julia Child et al
This French Onion Soup serves/makes 8
posted by John O. White @ 7:56 AM
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