French onion soup the way you imagine it should be

My 'Onion Scale'

Having spent 6 months making French Onion Soup on a weekly basis during my ski season in Val d'Isere, I am fairly confident that I make a mean rendition of it. Now I know many of you out there make a 'mean' onion soup, but unfortunately I have the job today of telling you that you probably don't.

This is not me being an arse-hole, there will be no doubt in your mind when that is the case, its simply the truth. I have sampled many many attempts from Alpine restaurants and from friends alike, some are good, some are ok and some are shocking.... None have been as good as mine. This is not hubris, but fact.

This soup is a classic, and its a classic because its good. Its good because its simple, but because its so simple people get bored. When people get bored they start to meddle and unfortunately when people start to meddle things go off track. I should know... I have done more than my fair share of meddling over the years!

So the secret, the key, the holy elixir of onion soup greatness is...... the onions! Kicking yourself now for not getting that aren't you! Some people say that the secret lies in the stock that is used, and I would agree that a really well made and flavoursome stock is important, but its not the secret to the dish. The flavour that you know and love is not that of the stock, otherwise you would be ordering a beef consommé and not the onion soup... like I said the secret is in the onions and I'm going to show you what that secret looks like. Literally.

No additives, no preservatives, no balsamic, no sugar, no gravy browning... JUST ONIONS and patience

Before I move on I need to make something clear... I am not going to give you a recipe. Instead I am going to give you something far more dangerous than that hand crafted Japanese Santoku you are wielding, I am going to give you an idea. The idea I want to bestow upon you is the bare-bones of a French onion soup, its the DNA profile that makes it what it is, but it is not the worlds most refined and elaborate version. I am willing to bet that if you try this, do not meddle, and take care and time to do it properly you will be surprised and delighted and maybe even astounded at a soup that is probably better than most you have tried before.

So you will need, white onions, garlic, beef stock as well as some butter/oil and seasoning. Simples. All I will say regarding the quantity of onions you will need is that, you will require triple the amount of onions you think you will before you slice them, and double the amount you have after you have sliced them! Confused? Don't be, it will become very clear when you try it. For now try maybe 5 large onions. Also many recipes use balsamic vinegar, sugar, tomato paste and many other things. I don't necessarily disagree with using these, just not today please, trust me on this. We are going to get a pure flavour, you may tinkle with the recipe afterwards but this once do it my way, see what you would like to add then make it again. Things like sugar and balsamic will make you think your onions are at the right stage when they are not.

Take a look at this great bloggers onion soup he was doing well until he added the balsamic vinegar. Look at the colour of the onions, they have started to caramelise but haven't had a chance to develop serious flavour and the balsamic makes them look like they have. (I do love a little balsamic in my soup, the acid cuts the sweetness nicely, but I add it to onions that have been taken to the limit). His post was the inspiration behind this blog... bookmark his site, it makes for good reading!

The key to developing 'that' flavour is looooong slow controlled cooking. This soup is a labour of love, no answering the phone, now watching your favourite soap, no nothing other than the soup.

So lets do it.

You will melt some fat, a touch of oil and a wedge of butter is my choice , add the onions and some salt and sweat in a covered pan for 5-10mins to soften and start to draw some moisture out of the onions. Once softened remove the lid and allow moisture to start evaporating.

You will soon notice that the huge amount of onions you thought you had is no more as they sweat down and reduce hugely in size. It will get worse... or is that better?  Keep stirring and maintain a medium to high heat at this stage until the moisture in the pan from the sweating stage has evaporated then lower it.

After 20 minutes the onions will start to caramelise. This does not mean they brown due to the heat searing the onion, it means as the water in the onion is being removed the natural sugars are concentrating and very slowly caramelising. You may add a whole clove of garlic, un-chopped and un-crushed.... whole.

Make sure you stir the onions every 2-3 mins. As the volume of onions reduces try and make sure the entire base of the pan is always covered in onions. This will speed up channelisation process a little and make for a more uniform colouration and flavour.

Monitor the heat carefully and be vigilant, it only takes a few seconds for the onions to catch and burn turning your soon to be soup acrid. If this happens try and spoon off the onions from the top leaving the burnt ones behind... and start again in a clean pan, using fresh onions if you dont have enough part cooked ones.

Keep going.... be brave, but be careful!

Finally, an hour later we are there! Look at those onions, fudge-like, gooey, deliciously sweet. Just some of the ways that I can think of to describe them. From all those onions we now have maybe two heaped tablespoons of onions... enough for 2 bowls of soup... and if you are me, you will eat them both yourself.

So to finish add you beef stock and simmer very very gently for a couple of minutes, season to taste et voila! You could add a large croûton cut from a baguette, topped with a heart stopping amount of good Gruyère, I'd go for Beaufort personally, but being a very very poor student I couldn't afford the bread let alone the 'King of the Gruyères”... truth be told I couldn't afford the onions, but that's the kind of guy I am, getting into debt to make sure you guys have good soup!

To recap... don't mess with this idea, you only have to do it like this one time so you understand the process and the flavour it develops. You will then understand the heart and soul of this soup and are then free to go wild and add some wine, tomato paste, lychees whatever! Your onions will be the same but you will build a greater depth of flavour around them, hell you may go completely crazy and even add some flour to thicken it slightly... but not this time!

Let me know your opinions in the comments below... I wont bite I promise... oh yeah... HAVE FUN!

Dylan

My Cooking Experiences - Part 2 - Chalets and SuperYachts

Val d'Isere - taken from Solaise

 

Part 1 can be found here

My next job requiring me to create rustic culinary delights was in the French Alpine resort of Val d'Isere, also known as Val d'Izzle* to Snoop Dog and other gangster rappers around the world. (*this is unsubstantiated conjecture).

I spent the winter of 07/08 working as a 'Chalet Bitch', or to go by the official tittle 'Chalet Host'. I was assigned the largest 'single host' chalet that had a quirky layout over 3 floors and included an underground passage to the games room, sauna and two of the bedrooms! Each week I would have 8 guests come to stay with me and it was my job to ensure they received their hot breakfasts, freshly baked cake for when they returned from a day on the slopes, a three course meal in the evening as well as cleaning all the rooms, providing them with info about events in the town, runs to do and runs to avoid and all the frivolous banter they could handle. All this for a whopping £70 per week with one day off, with a pint costing 7euros, or in the few bars that offered 'seasonairre prices' 4euros, our 'wages' did not stretch far!

A little video I made of my time in the mountains

Earnings were quickly spent in the age old chalet hosts tradition of consuming as much alcohol as one could, and in my case on doctors bills to treat a dislocated shoulder and a 'put out' back on two occasions, so as ever it fell to the 'chalet wine' to provide the merriment. Ahhh yes chalet wine, how I have missed you!

Extra earnings could be acquired in the form of tips from the guests. It was at this that I excelled despite being barely able to talk after contracting glandular fever in the first week of the season, which lasted right through until April! I did this predominantly by consistently serving the best food my guests said they had had during any of their previous ski trips. A compliment, but not as big a one as you may think judging by the 'talent' of some of my associates.

Chalet Seraphine

 

Upon joining the company I worked for, myself and the other 30 or so hosts embarked on 3 weeks of training in resort before the season kicked off. We would learn to cook a menu consisting of three courses each night for 6 days, and veggie options to go with it, along with how to clean our chalets and fold towels. Gripping stuff. It became apparent early on that I was one of the better, if not best cook out of the hosts. It baffled me that some of my colleagues could barely boil an egg, let alone fry or poach one! One female host, fresh from completing her A-Levels at an oh so very posh school asked when we were discussing cheese... 'is that where the cheese comes from, Arge?' We looked at each other perplexed and asked her to explain what she meant, she said 'Well you keep going on about the cheese for the cheese boards, saying they are from Arge, why are they all from the same place?' In case you are unaware, the French word for cheese is Fromage, and in no way what soever means they come from a place called Arge!

Moi

Anyway, I felt immediately at ease whipping up the same menu week in week out and had the tips to show for it each Sunday night in my local, the Morris Bar. I quickly tired of the menu and set about changing it slightly to both entertain myself and create better dishes for the guests. A classic was guests not liking the sound of the “Lamb and Apricot Stew” which was the main course on Thursdays. I could usually direct the guests with some subtle language skills and my powers of suggestion, to have them ask me if they could have something else, thereby sticking to company policy of not offering alternate dishes. Of course my answer was yes and a nice lamb curry was usually the preferred option, doing away with the salad starter and replacing with onion bharji' and Pakoras! Quite delightful if I do say so myself. My chalet manager became firstly suspicious and then annoyed as to why at half way through the season, in 7 out of 9 weeks my guests asked for curry instead of the usual dishes, to which I had no answer other than 'that's what they asked for boss'.

The following winter my next cooking job arrived, I got a job on a 44m motor yacht that was to be berthed in Imperia, Italy, for the winter, where I would cook for the 5 crew and help with some deck work in the afternoons. This job came with a job as the crew chef on the owners new 60m motor-yacht that was due to launch some months later in May. I enjoyed the time in Italy and trying new things out on the crew who were mostly appreciative of my efforts... there is however always one!

The yacht moored in Imperia

As the winter came and went it was time for me to join the new yacht in Cherbourg, France, where she had been built. My job was to cook lunch and dinner for 14 crew and a vegetarian ;-) everyday, and help the main chef, Geoff, prepare for the guests meals.

All in all it was a very interesting experience, one I will likely do again. I learned a lot from Geoff in regards to cooking techniques and increased my knowledge in certain areas a lot. Crucially I also learnt a few tips specific to catering on a yacht for demanding guests, that will come in handy if find myself back on the seas. The experience also highlighted the areas I fell short in and is a major part of why I am attending this course at Tante Marie. Geoff had such a wide variety of dishes in his head that came with many years of experience, and it amazed me on a number of occasions as too what he would come up with. My organisation and tidyness in the galley also improved substantially as would stop me routinely stop me working until I had organised my area better.

The new office in Cannes, France

So having had many jobs and always seemingly somehow ending up back in a kitchen, it seems silly to fight what my mind wants to do. It may have taken longer than most to get there, but finally I feel I am ready to get stuck into a career, and that career will be behind the pots and pans. Where those pots and pans are to be located, is however yet to be seen....

Tomorrow is the first day of class, I have packed my bag like a good boy, laid my clothes out and even chosen which watch I will wear. All that stands between me and my first day is a slippery 15min walk up a slight incline to the start of my new career...

Somewhere in the Med...

So I will see you back here soon, where you will be greeted by less of this meandering filler and more of posts on the subject matter this blog was designed to cover.

Dylan