French Onion Soup

Silky caramelized onions, nutty gruyere, red wine and a rich flavorful broth. Mmmm I like that. What more could you want? Get yourself together, you’re drooling. I see you!

Don’t forget to pick up a bottle of red for this recipe!

My love affair with French Onion Soup began after moving to Vancouver in the middle of winter. For those of you not familiar with the Vancouver climate, it’s much different than the rest of Canada. Instead of snow storms and mind numbingly cold temperatures; Vancouver gets a TON of rain and can be gloomy & dark. I really have to credit Vancouver for my deep love of French Onion Soup. It brings back fond memories, with some of my closest friends, in my favorite city in the world. That’s right, I said it. If you haven’t been to this beautiful place, you need to visit.

Nothing shines brighter than Vancouver on a sunny day.

Try to slice your onions as evenly as possible .

French Onion Soup is easily one of my favorite soups but WHY is it so difficult for a girl to find a great French Onion Soup? I have no idea why but this dish often misses the mark when I dine out. Is it because onions take a solid 40 minutes to caramelize? Or because the quality of the beef stock really does matter? Whatever the reason, when I find a french onion soup I love, I will order it every damn time. Religiously.

Cozy up with a bowl of cheesy French Onion Soup!

I’ve heard through the grape-vine the last few days have been pretty rainy and miserable in Vancouver. I posted this recipe thinking of you all and wanted to share my rainy day favorite.

Whip up a batch of this, invite some friends over and have a few laughs over a bowl. While you’re at it, pop a couple bottles of red, because everything’s better with wine!

Bon Appétit! xx

French Onion Soup

 

Print

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

55 mins

Total time

1 hour 10 mins

 

Author: Tyler Florence

Recipe type: Soup

Cuisine: French

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 4 large onions, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs (you can sub for 1.5 tsp of dried thyme)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup red wine, about ½ bottle
• 3 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 quarts (8 cups) vegetable or beef broth (I use vegetable)
• 1 baguette, sliced
• ½ pound (2 cups) grated Gruyere

Instructions

1. Melt the stick of butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and salt and pepper and cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized, about 30 minutes.
2. Add the wine, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the wine has evaporated and the onions are dry, about 5 minutes.
3. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Dust the onions with the flour and give them a stir. Turn the heat down to medium low so the flour doesn't burn, and cook for 10 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.
4. Now add the broth, bring the soup back to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
5. When you're ready to eat, preheat the broiler. Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle the slices with the Gruyere and broil until bubbly and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
6. Ladle the soup into bowls, top each with 2 slices of bread and top with cheese. Put the bowls into the oven to toast the bread and melt the cheese.

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The post French Onion Soup appeared first on The Peony Life.

SERVE THIS FAMILY STYLE AT A SUNDAY DINNER

Did you know the United States is the biggest importer of summer squash? I didn’t! Until last week when another shopper at the farmers market told me. I thought they must of been misinformed but as I researched, I realized most of our squash does come from Mexico. Like the VAST majority comes from Mexico. We do grow a small percentage locally; Florida, New York and California producing the most.

SUMMER SQUASH ARE GOOD SOURCES OF VITAMIN A & C

Summer squash comes in a variety of shades of yellow, green and even white. I love working with pattypan and sunburst squash like the ones used in this recipe. I can only get my hands on them in the summer so I look forward to them every year. They are made of up of mostly water(95%), are low in calories and are good sources of vitamin A & C.

Another way I like to enjoy summer squash is grilled with eggplant and peppers.  I serve the grilled veggies family style and drizzle them with roasted garlic extra virgin olive oil. It reminds me of happy days in Europe with my fiancé, visiting with his family and falling in love with the Mediterranean style grilled vegetables. I think I ordered them as a side for lunch and dinner every night; not even kidding.

SLICE SQUASH THE SAME THICKNESS, SO THEY COOK EVENLY

Anyway, back to this bomb diggity summer squash gratin. The original recipe calls for zucchini but I decided to sub for seasonal summer squash. I was really happy with the way things turned out. A couple things about this recipe, I wanted to share with you..

-Salt your squash! Summer squash is made up of 95% water and its all going to come out when cooked. To avoid a runny gratin place the slices of squash in a colander lined with a clean kitchen towel. Liberally sprinkle kosher salt over the squash and let it sit for 15 minutes to draw out the moisture. Depending on the amount of liquid either pat dry using a towel or apply pressure to strain using the colander.

SUMMER SQUASH ABOUT TO BE ADDED TO THE SAUTÉED ONION

-In my opinion the nutmeg sets this dish OFF! It’s a must have in this dish for sure so don’t skip it.

-I know it seems like a lot of onions but they will soften as they cook down. Trust me, it will work.

-The gruyère in this recipe is on point but feel free to sub fontina or whatever you have in the fridge.

This summer squash gratin recipe is a favorite in my house! A lot of people request this when they come over for a meal. I like to serve it family style for a casual lunch or dinner.

Enjoy xx

Summer Squash Gratin

 

Print

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

55 mins

Total time

1 hour 5 mins

 

Author: Ina Garten

Recipe type: Side

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, plus extra for topping
• 1 pound yellow onions, cut in ½ and sliced (3 large)
• 2 pounds summer squash or zucchini, sliced ¼-inch thick (4 zucchini)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup hot milk
• ¾ cup fresh bread crumbs
• ¾ cup grated Gruyere

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Melt the butter in a very large (12-inch) sauté pan and cook the onions over low heat for 20 minutes, or until tender but not browned.
3. Add the zucchini and cook, covered, for 10 minutes, or until tender.
4. Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook uncovered for 5 more minutes.
5. Stir in the flour. Add the hot milk and cook over low heat for a few minutes, until it makes a sauce. Pour the mixture into an 8 by 10-inch baking dish.
6. Combine the bread crumbs and Gruyere and sprinkle on top of the zucchini mixture.
7. Dot with 1 tablespoon of butter cut into small bits and bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly and browned.

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The post Summer Squash Gratin appeared first on The Peony Life.