How To Make French Onion Soup

French onion soup is famous for its rich and beefy broth, delicious caramelized onions, and cheesy crust. You can easily wow your family or dinner guests with the following recipe.

Ingredients:

• 4 medium yellow onions, (about 8 cups), thinly sliced
• ¼ cup butter
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• ¼ tsp. sugar
• 1 T. flour
• 2 quarts beef stock
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ cup white wine
• French bread
• Fresh garlic
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 cups Aged Gruyere

Procedure:

For the Soup:

1. Melt ¼ cup butter in a heavy 4-quart saucepan over medium heat.
2. Stir in thinly sliced onions, 1 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. of pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer the onions for 15 minutes. Stir the onions occasionally.
3. Uncover the pan, add ¼ tsp. sugar, and stir. Return to medium heat and continue to cook the onions, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until they achieve a golden brown color.
4. Add 1 T. flour and stir for 3 minutes.
5. Add 2 quarts of beef stock, 1 bay leaf, and ½ cup white wine. Bring the liquid to boil over medium-high heat then reduce heat to simmer. Partially cover the pan and simmer for 30 minutes.
6. Set soup aside until ready to serve.

For the Croutons:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Rub each round of French bread with cut garlic. Brush each round with olive oil.
3. Place French bread rounds on a greased baking sheet and put in the oven for 20 minutes. French bread rounds can be based with olive oil during baking. They should be dry, crisp, and brown after baking.

Serving the Soup:

1. Reheat the soup over medium-low heat.
2. Pour individual servings of soup into soup bowls.
3. Place one French bread round in each soup bowl.
4. Top each French bread round with shredded cheese.

Extra Tips and Tricks

This French onion soup recipe is very easy to follow and gets an rave reviews whenever we serve it to family and friends. Here are a few tips and tricks we have found helpful when making this dish.

• Yellow onions work best for this recipe. You will not get the right flavor with sweet onions.
• Do not stir the onions too often during the cooking process. Over-stirring the onions will not allow them to caramelize. To achieve a mellow flavor they must cook for a long time over low heat. Plus, do not try to hurry the onions. Cooking the onions too fast can lead to blackened onions and give the soup a burned and bitter taste.
• It is perfectly acceptable to use canned beef stock or beef broth in this recipe.
• Do not feel obligated to purchase an expensive French white wine for this soup. If you will be having white wine with your dinner use it in the soup. It is always a good idea to cook with a good wine that you also enjoy drinking. A dry Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc will pare nicely with the soup and the meal.
• When preparing the French bread rounds you can substitute powdered garlic if you are out of fresh garlic. Mix a tablespoon of garlic powder with three tablespoons of olive oil and spread on the French bread rounds before placing them in the oven to mimic the fresh garlic taste.
• Grated Swiss cheese or grated Parmesan cheese can be substituted for the aged Gruyere cheese.
• The French bread rounds can be basted with the beef stock from the soup during baking instead of the olive oil.
• French onion soup is normally served with a bubbling cheese crust. To achieve this at home, place finished individual soup bowls on a baking sheet and run under the broiler for a few minutes before serving.
• The soup can be prepared twenty-four hours before serving and refrigerated. To serve, reheat on medium-low and place into individual soup bowls before adding French bread rounds and shredded cheese.

Serve a bowl of French onion soup with a nice salad of fresh greens and balsamic vinaigrette and you have a delicious brunch. A small cup size serving of this soup makes an elegant start to any meal. Bon appetit!

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How To Make Mixed Greens With Grapes & Fried Feta

This recipe is a delicious mix of healthy and hearty! (Let’s be honest, who doesn’t like fried cheese!) It is a perfect lunch dish for you or your friends and family, and is incredibly simple and easy to prepare. What’s more, is that once you know how to fry feta once, its an easy skill to master.

Ingredients:

• Mixed Greens: This can be your choice of arugula, spinach, cabbage, chard or a variety of lettuces.
• Seedless Grapes: A personal favorite is to use the common ‘green grape’ in the U.S., also known as the Thompson seedless grape.
• Butter: 2 oz., any variety will do, however unsalted butter offers a slightly healthier alternative – even when you are frying cheese in it
• Olive Oil: 2.5 oz., different varieties of olive oil will work, however when frying it is best to use a lower grade and save your E.V.O.O. (extra virgin olive oil) for other dishes.
• Flour Mixture: 1-2 cups of flour, a dash of salt, and a dash of pepper.
• Bowl of Ice water: (For the feta before frying)
• Feta cheese: 4-6 oz is usually plenty, but the oil and butter fry can do as much as 10 ounces. Be sure to buy whole feta and not the crumbles.
• Walnuts: Optional, but many varieties of nuts will work. The trick with nuts in any salad is to chop them before adding. If they are left un-chopped, they can be too large and difficult to eat with a fork.
• Brown Sugar: 2-4 Tbsp.

(Note about amounts: They will vary! As a rule, no more than two cups of salad per person, and only about a half-dozen grapes per person. The feta varies too, but if you want it to blend nicely and not overpower the other ingredients, chop it up layer it over the top. In my experience, pan-fried feta that doesn’t make it onto a salad usually still finds its way into someones belly.)

Preparation:

1. The preparatory work for this dish simply demands the greens be laid out, and the grapes to be cut first. You can chop the walnuts now too if you would like to skip step 4 below. Simply slice the grapes in half and rest them atop the greens for now.
2. Start by melting the butter and heating the oil in a medium pan. Meanwhile, slice the feta lengthwise into bite-size ‘fingers’. If preferred, cubes can work as well, however I have always had better luck with longer pieces. Remember too that these are best served hot and are easy to do, so plan ahead for your guests!
3. Place the feta fingers in the ice water for 30 seconds or so or until chilled. This will allow the flour mixture to stick better. Once chilled, roll in the flow mixture until thoroughly coated and then place in the pan. Gently roll the fingers frequently to fry evenly before the cheese melts too thin. Pull out with tongs and allow to cool on a paper towel.
4. Now, as an option, you can toss in the walnuts into the butter/oil mixture for a few seconds to heat and coat them. Only a few seconds are needed before they can be removed by a sifting spoon, and rolled or sprinkled in the brown sugar. This adds a sweet crunch to the dish that nicely compliments the fried feta and tart grapes.

The cheese and walnuts can now be added to the salad. If preferred, the ensemble can be tossed in a mild dressing, such as a balsamic or raspberry vinaigrette, although I am partial to a homemade ranch dressing myself!

Image: MonkeySee

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How To Make Salmon Fillets With Spinach Almond Pesto

Salmon has become known as one of the super foods that everyone should include in their diet. Omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (the “good” fat) that promotes healthy skin, lowers cholesterol, protects against heart disease and reduces inflammation, is abundant in salmon. It is also a delicious, firm-fleshed fish that works well in a variety of preparations. This recipe pairs pan seared salmon fillets with a pesto made from spinach and almonds instead of basil and pine nuts, for an extra healthy boost. Grapeseed oil is used instead of olive oil because of its lighter taste that lets the flavors of the ingredients in the pesto shine.

Since the recipe is easy to prepare, you can quickly make a great meal after a long day at the office. To complement the simply prepared fish, serve with iced herbal tea and add a crispy salad of mixed spring greens with cherry tomatoes, green peas, cucumbers and thinly sliced red onion rings. While the salmon sears, cook your favorite pasta to toss with some of the pesto. You will have a freshly prepared, complete meal in under 35 minutes that is tasty as well as healthy.

If you are someone who likes to finish a meal with dessert, keep it light with a fruit sorbet or frozen yogurt; use sliced fresh fruit as an edible garnish. Bon apetit!

Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 20 – 25 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 cups packed fresh spinach leaves
• ½ cup slivered almonds
• Small bunch of cilantro, about 6 stems, leaves removed
• 4 cloves of garlic, diced
• ¾ cup grapeseed oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• ½ cup water
• 4 salmon fillets, about 5 ounces each, skin removed
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1 lemon, halved

To make the pesto: Process the almonds and garlic in a food processor for 15 seconds. Add the spinach, cilantro leaves and ½ teaspoons of salt and pepper. Run the processor on low while slowly pouring in the grapeseed oil through the feed tube. Add water from the ½ cup as necessary while pureeing, to keep the mixture smooth. Process until the pesto is a nice puree. Add the cheese and puree again for one minute. Makes 2 cups.

To prepare the salmon: Pour the canola oil in a pan and heat to medium high. Salt and pepper both sides of the salmon to taste and sear in the pan for 4 minutes until lightly browned; turn and cook on other side for 4 minutes, or until fish is just opaque in the center. Remove from pan to a serving dish and squeeze the lemon halves over the fish. Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of pesto over each fillet and serve.

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