Soup a l'Oignon Gratinee

Let me confess, this recipe is word for word from The Paris Cafe Cookbook by Daniel Young page 13.


Scanned from the 1st Paris scrapbook, We sit waiting for our Soup a l'Oignon.

Feet throbbing, stomachs growling and spirits completely intimidated by the throngs of trendy young people (no younger than us, mind you) spilling out onto the sidewalks in front of every cafe and pub in the Latin Quarter. All we wanted was to sit down and savor the moment. It was our first trip to Paris and every moment was to be remembered. We spotted a quiet little bistro, no bumping bass coming from inside. Only empty tables and a chalk board menu. Six years ago my French skills were not what they are today. I scanned a scribbled menu in search of "Soup a l'Oignon" . The curly-Q font of French handwriting throwing me off every, now and again. Is that a "one" or a "seven"...how is it that they all seem to have identical handwriting? Thanks to Napoleon I am sure. The word "onion" was no where to be found on this little menu, propped up against the entry way but the place was quiet and "vide" and the patron seemed pleased to invite us in. I inquired about the soup, "S'il vous plait. Avez-vous soup a l'Oignon" With much regret our waiter (who seemed to be on very good terms with the owner) informed me that they did not have my much coveted onion soup. I understood, it was afterall not on the menu and around eleven in the evening. We requested two more minutes so I could decide what to order. Before those two minutes where up our waiter came back and with a gentle enthusiasm that I did not expect to encounter in our "garcon" (he is not to be called that of course!) he announced that they had found what they needed and could "whip me up a bowl." Ok, he didn't say it just like that but a short time later a piping hot bowl of "French Onion Soup" as we call it Stateside came out and to my delight, it was wonderful! Imagine my joy a few years later when I followed this recipe for the first time only to discover it tasted JUST LIKE the bowl I had on my first trip to Paris, late one evening somewhere in the Latin Quarter.

You will need:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 pounds of onions, thinly sliced (and some waterproof mascara!)
2 tablespoons of flour 1 quart of water 1 cup of DRY white wine
1 bouquet garni (thyme, parsley, bay leaf tied up with twine)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 baguette sliced amd toasted
1/2 pound Gruyere or Imported Swiss cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 325 F. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, add the onions and cook, stirring untiil golden color sets in. 8 to 10 minutes. Add the flour and stir with onions for 3 minutes. Add the water, white wine and bouquet garni and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the bouquet garni, add salt and pepper to taste, and then pour the soup into 4 oven-proof bowls. Dunk the rounds of toast into each bowl of soup sprinkle liberally with the shredded Gruyere. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then set under a hot broiler to brown the top.

Bon Appetit!

Let me know how you enjoyed your Soup a l'oignon experience!