Onion Soup - Comfort Food at its Best!

Spring has been a little funny this year. We have had a few warm days, some mild days and a few down right chilly days (for California that is). I also have read that a lot of you in different parts of the country or the world are facing a really cold spring, possibly some snow even. I really cannot imagine. But given the pending rain in the next day or two here, I thought I would offer up one of my very favorite comfort foods which is perfect for a chilly night. Although, unless temperatures are over 85°, I am happy with it any time.

French Onion Soup! Simple and so easy to make and it never fails to make me happy. You can look around at recipes and may have a favorite of your own. Frankly they all seem pretty similar to me. If you taste and add as you go, you should get it just right for your taste. Here is what I put in.

French Onion Soup (adapted from The Joy of Cooking)

Ingredients
2 Tbls unsalted butter
2 Tbls olive oil
5-6 onions sliced thinly
1-3 cloves of garlic diced
1-2 Tbls. fresh chopped thyme (tarragon also works really well)
1/4 cup dry sherry, cognac, or wine (I use sherry usually)
4 cups beef stock (or more to taste)
salt and pepper to taste

French Bread (stale or toasted works best)
Cheese (I prefer a good Swiss cheese such as Gruyère or Emmenthaler. But Mozzarella or provolone also work well. I also think it sometimes melts faster when grated but is prettier if you slice it before putting it under the broiler.)

Melt the butter with olive oil in large stock pot. Add onions, thyme or tarragon and garlic. Cook on medium to low heat until the onions begin to color and turn golden. This will take some time. Stir occasionally and allow at least 20 minutes or more. At this point you can put a lid on the pot and allow the onions to continue their slow cook until brown. Check it often and stir occasionally. Once again, this may take time. Up to another 30 minutes to an hour.

When the onions are the desired color add the alcohol and cook down for a minute or two. Add your stock and bring to a boil.. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes or more. Season with salt and pepper.

Spoon into individual bowls or cruets. Place a piece of toast or bread onto the soup, top with the cheese and place under the broiler until cheese is browned. Serve right away.

BE CAREFUL! I know you are aware that things from the oven are hot but something about these bowls with cheese under the broiler. REALLY hot and easy to burn yourself on. It is also very hot when you take that first bite. I don't know how many times, my tongue has been numbed with burns from onion soup!

To take comfort to an even more comfortable level (especially with little ones). On this particular evening I paired the soup with a simple burger. The kids love theirs with mustard. Normally I want my hamburger with the works but with such a substantial soup, good meat and....

Freshly made rolls created from the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day recipe, simple was just right!

And to make the children (and big adult kids) happy, I worked up a batch of homemade fries as well. Remember when I said I was going to blanch a bunch of potatoes and freeze them in this post? Well let me tell you! I did it. I must have cut and blanched about 15 or more potatoes in my deep fryer. When they had cooled enough I put them in ziplock bags and placed them in the freezer. The result was a much quicker homemade fry on the night desired and it was SO crispy! It is my new method. If I have any potatoes and spare time, I will blanch and freeze for the future. The kids love them. I know fries aren't very healthy but it has to be better than fast food right?

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Don't forget to RSVP to my virtual Open House and stationery give away! The deadline has been extended until April 12th. Just email a good party recipe to missNnick [at] gmail [dot] com (missNnick@gmail.com) and include your name, blog address, permalink to the entry and a link back to me! Can't wait to see you there! (Note: There are TWO "N"s in the email address.)

Irish Meets American- My St. Paddy's Day Meal

Happy belated St. Patrick's Day to all of you. I hope it was a good one filled with corned beef, green beer or whatever floats your boat.

I don't usually do anything especially Irish on St. Patrick's Day. It's pathetic I know. Maybe because I only have a wee amount of Irish in me (hear my strong Irish Brogue?). In reality the the holiday is to honor St. Patrick, think about the start of spring and get a much welcome reprieve from Lenten resolutions. Now it is just an excuse to party! I remember one year, in my younger, single days, in which my friend and I got to an Irish pub a little before 5pm. After over an hour and a half of standing in line with no real signs of promise that we would EVER get in, we hightailed it out of there and had a glass of wine at some "non-Irish" and probably classier bar. That line thing was NOT up our alley. Nor is getting there and beginning to drink in the "wee" hours of the morning. Some people have to work! I'll go to an Irish pub another day of the year.

This year, however, I was in the mood to make the infamous corned beef! But my husband didn't think he would like it or eat it. Soooo picky! ;( So I came up with the idea of corned beef and pastrami sandwiches with cold slaw! At the last minute we invited a couple neighbors over too. I made green malts for the kids. The guys had beer and the women, wine. So you see... it wasn't quite corned beef and cabbage nor was it exactly hamburgers and fries. But very Irish-American wouldn't you say?

I didn't get a great picture of the cold slaw but I made it with my grandmother's ultra simple recipe with a little modification. She used just the cabbage, mayonnaise, a splash of white wine vinegar and a teeny teeny bit of sugar plus salt and pepper. We don't measure much in my family. My changes were, adding green onions, green bell pepper sliced very very thin and I used Julia Child's recipe for homemade mayonnaise. This was a GOOD cold slaw! I am picky about cold slaw but this was good!

I purchased the deli meat and amazing Gruyere cheese at this awesome German Deli near here. Mattern Deli has THE best sausage, meats, roast beef, pastrami and more. I love their sandwiches! And the bread... so different from that you find in most any other market. If you are in Orange, go check them out!

I thought the kids, as well as the adults might like a little pot of gold to go with their meal.
May the luck of the Irish be with you this year. We could all use a little pot of gold about now!

For a little more depth on the holiday and it's traditions, check out this video.

Fries Fries Fries... Hurray for Les Pommes Frites!

Did I ever tell you what I got for Christmas? Well one of the things was a deep fryer. I have always wanted one. I know it isn't healthy but aren't homemade fries better than those from a fast food chain? Or the frozen fries from the market? I think so. After all it is a potato! Along with the fryer, my husband got me a mandolin. In order to really get the french fries right, you need them to be similar in size and shape. The mandolin REALLY helps this out.

If you have been following along for a while, you may remember this post in which I made homemade french fries. Pretty sad when you compare to these beauties! I have made these frites three times now since the holidays and they just keep getting better. A deep fryer and the uniform size is such a great help in making a crisp french fry that is still soft on the inside. With the fryer, they are coming out crisp, golden, hot and full of the potato flavor at the same time. If you are doing french fries at home, this IS the way to go.

Note: Each time I used the mandolin and soaked the cut potatoes in ice water for at least 20 minutes. I then blanched the fries for about 5 minutes in the hot oil and let them cool off for about 10 minutes before refrying for the final result. I salted the hot potatoes after they were finished and while still hot.

One day soon, I plan to blanch a whole bunch of potatos and flash freeze them to use as needed without going through as many steps when we are hungry for these little sticks of yum!

Next time I post on fries, I'll do the sweet potato variety!

Little Sticks of YUM!

Some time ago, a friend referred to the ubiquitous fried potato (aka: french fry, fry, frite, chip) as little sticks of yum. This seems a very apt description! Personally if I see fries, I have a very very hard time resisting them. They are just so ... well yummy!

My very favorite are the really thin frites served often in French bistros or cafes. What is your favorite? Thick? Thin? Healthy? McDonald's? I do have to admit, I LIKE McDonald's fries!

I have tried making my own on a few occasions. I know you are supposed to blanch the potatoes in the oil first. I do that. But still my fries do not come out quite as crispy as I would like. Maybe I am too impatient and do not let them cool enough after the first blanch. I have also heard you can freeze them after the first blanching for a crisper fry. Maybe a deep fryer would do the job better. I am not sure. I do want to purchase one.

Do you have any tips for me on getting a crisper fry?

Despite the not-so-crisp nature of my own version, they did have a good flavor. As a family keen on dipping, I served them with ranch dressing and ketchup. I normally make ranch dressing using a packet of powdered mix, mayonnaise and milk (as per the directions). I highly recommend making your own dressing even if it is just with a packet. I cannot stand ANY bottled dressings. It just doesn't taste right to me at all. And making your own is so easy and can last in the refrigerator for about 3 weeks! So it needn't go to waste.

What are your favorite fry dippers?