Hey folks. I was watching The Chef Show on Netflix and the last episode of volume II Roy Choi made his onion soup in an onion bowl that won him some accolades in the 1990s. This show doesn't post written recipes and from what Jon Favreau often complains about, Roy doesn't really have recipes rigid enough to write down. I love french onion soup and watched this episode a billion times to recreate it, and it was absolutely amazing. I went through a lot of trouble to figure it out so hopefully somebody else will find a use for it. I did not do the onion bowl so watch the show for that part if you desire.
The big technique feature on this one is to cook the onions down slowly creating more of a jam than a pile of onions caramelized on high heat. It took about an hour to do the onions right for me. Worth it.
French Onion Soup
Soup
5 large yellow onions sliced in half and then thinly sliced across grain
Olive oil to cover bottom of stock pot
64 oz beef stock
2 bay leaves
4 thyme sprigs
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Pat of butter
4 fl oz Beer, sherry, or brandy - avoid artificial flavors
2 T flour
Toppings
Emmental or baby Swiss
Gruyere
Parmesan
Provolone
Crostini
Sourdough bread
EVOO
Kosher salt to taste
Preheat oven 400 F. Slice sourdough loaf into half inch slices at an angle. Place on baking sheet and douse generously with EVOO sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake until golden brown 12-15 minutes.
Coat bottom of stock pot with a layer of EVOO and heat to medium-low. Toss in an onion slice and look for active bubbling but not frying. Dump all onions into pot and increase to medium heat. Stir occasionally not allowing onions to fry or brown too quickly. Do not stir too often, some fond should form on the bottom of the pot by the time the onions are cooked. When onions become translucent and begin to break down add salt and pepper generously or to taste. Continue stirring occasionally until the onions break down even more, then add pat of butter. If liquid fats (EVOO and butter) bubble far above surface layer of onions, drain some of the liquid and add back to broth later. Continue stirring occasionally until onions break down to become light to medium brown and slimy. Increase heat to high. Move onions to one side and add 3-4 ounces of alcohol to deglaze. Scrape up fond with spatula and mix into onions. Apply a light coating of flour to onions, just enough to add structure. Add bay leaf and thyme. Pour in beef stock and bring to boil. Lower to a simmer for 30 minutes.
Place two crostini in an oven safe bowl and top with soup leaving room at the top. Cover generously with cheese and place in oven under broiler until brown and bubbly. It helps to have wide slices of cheese that will catch the rim of the bowl and not sink into the soup, then the melted cheese will drip down the sides of the bowl.
The big technique feature on this one is to cook the onions down slowly creating more of a jam than a pile of onions caramelized on high heat. It took about an hour to do the onions right for me. Worth it.
French Onion Soup
Soup
5 large yellow onions sliced in half and then thinly sliced across grain
Olive oil to cover bottom of stock pot
64 oz beef stock
2 bay leaves
4 thyme sprigs
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Pat of butter
4 fl oz Beer, sherry, or brandy - avoid artificial flavors
2 T flour
Toppings
Emmental or baby Swiss
Gruyere
Parmesan
Provolone
Crostini
Sourdough bread
EVOO
Kosher salt to taste
Preheat oven 400 F. Slice sourdough loaf into half inch slices at an angle. Place on baking sheet and douse generously with EVOO sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake until golden brown 12-15 minutes.
Coat bottom of stock pot with a layer of EVOO and heat to medium-low. Toss in an onion slice and look for active bubbling but not frying. Dump all onions into pot and increase to medium heat. Stir occasionally not allowing onions to fry or brown too quickly. Do not stir too often, some fond should form on the bottom of the pot by the time the onions are cooked. When onions become translucent and begin to break down add salt and pepper generously or to taste. Continue stirring occasionally until the onions break down even more, then add pat of butter. If liquid fats (EVOO and butter) bubble far above surface layer of onions, drain some of the liquid and add back to broth later. Continue stirring occasionally until onions break down to become light to medium brown and slimy. Increase heat to high. Move onions to one side and add 3-4 ounces of alcohol to deglaze. Scrape up fond with spatula and mix into onions. Apply a light coating of flour to onions, just enough to add structure. Add bay leaf and thyme. Pour in beef stock and bring to boil. Lower to a simmer for 30 minutes.
Place two crostini in an oven safe bowl and top with soup leaving room at the top. Cover generously with cheese and place in oven under broiler until brown and bubbly. It helps to have wide slices of cheese that will catch the rim of the bowl and not sink into the soup, then the melted cheese will drip down the sides of the bowl.
I will give this a go in the near future. And thanx for posting.
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