Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Rainy Day Woman


By: Teri

This past Sunday was rainy and cold, and I decided that nothing could go better with a day spent reading and watching old movies than a bowl of hot, steamy soup. I've never been a huge fan of creamy soups, however, and I'd been wanting to perfect the art of perfect french onion soup sans beef broth. I've been told it can't be done. Previous attempts I've made in the past haven't always been delicious.

But I surged forward, and waht I came up with was actually pretty good. Awesome, in fact. And it has so few ingredients, that you can whip up a huge batch without breaking the bank. This recipe can be easily doubled, tripled or quadrupled, and is versatile enough that you can play around with it, adding or omitting things as you wish. And all without the use of those MSG filled onion soup mixes you find at the grocery store.

French Onion Soup with Muenster and Herbed Croutons

1 large vidalia onion, sliced
1 large red onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3-4 baby bella mushrooms, chopped finely
2 cups fake beef or chicken broth (if you can't find this at your local store, vegetable broth will be fine, just double up on the Worcestershire to add that earthy flavor)
1/2 cup water
1 cup dry white wine
Worcestershire sauce to taste
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 tsp honey
Muenster cheese, sliced
Herbed croutons (you can make these yourself, as I did, or buy a bag)


In a large soup pot, melt butter. Add all of the sliced vidalia onion and half of the sliced red onion. Reduce heat to medium. Add honey, and stir. Saute onions, stirring frequently, for ab out 20 minutes or until completely browned and caramelized. If they start to get too brown too quickly, reduce the heat to medium low. Once onions are caramelized, add garlic and mushrooms. Saute until both are soft, reducing heat to medium low if you haven't already. Add white wine, stirring to deglaze the pan, then add cup of water and 2 cups of stock. Cover, and allow to simmer for about an hour, so all the flavors can combine. When you return the soup should have thickened to a perfect consistency. If it hasn't, you can add a small amount of flour combined with water. Add slowly, stirring, and increase the heat until the soup bubbles. This will thicken the soup. At this point add the salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce (just enough to add a little earthiness, don't go overboard or you'll ruin the soup).

Slice muenster cheese and prepare croutons, if you're making them from scratch. Simply cut up some old bread into chunks (focaccia, sourdough, french bread - crusty breads make the best croutons). Arrange on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and wahtever combination of herbs and spices you wish to use. I used crushed red pepper, italian herbs, and parmesan cheese. Bake for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees or until crunchy and browned.

Once the cheese is sliced and croutons prepared, ladle your soup into large bowls. Generously spread croutons over the top and immediately top with the cheese. Put into the oven under broiler and allow the cheese to get bubbly and brown. Serve immediately. I'd suggest drinking the rest of that white wine with your meal!



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