Let's see - I'll try. REC: Greystone Gruyere Onion Soup from WSJ
From: Polly Lappetito of the Wine Spectator Greystone restaurant at the Napa Valley branch of the CIA (as published in the Wall Street Journal on December 17, 2006)
Yields: 6
Baking time: 20 minutes
Total time: 60 minutes
Wine suggested: Fruity chardonnay or pinot grigio
2 T olive oil
3 large yellow onions, very thinly sliced
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp plus 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp white wine
5 cups chicken broth or stock
1 dried bay leaf
2 t fresh thyme leaves
1 T sugar
1 T plus 1 t fresh lemon juice
6 slices thin, soft, white bread
4 T unsalted butter
4 T all-purpose flour
2 1/2 whole or part-skim milk
2 1/2 cups grated Gruyere cheese, plus 6 thin slices
Pinch of cayenne pepper
6 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 cup grated Protestant cheese - no, that must be Parmasean cheese ;o)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
(I'll paraphrase from here on, too hard to read every word
In a large saucepan, cook onion, pepper, and 2 tsp salt in olive oil. Cook, partially covered, until carmelized (30-40 minutes). With heat on high, add wine and scrape bits of onion from bottom of pan. Boil for an additional minute.
Add chicken broth, bay leaf, and thyme; reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, then stir in sugar and lemon juice.
Trim bread to about 5 inches in diameter so that it fits over bowls easily. Toast in oven for about 10 minutes until browned slightly.
In a large saucepan, melt butter and make a roux with the flour; add one cup of the milk, mixing well, and whisk continously into soup base until well blended.
Add rest of milk and remaining 1/4 cup wine, then raise heat until mixture is bubbling, then continue to cook until it is the consistency of pudding, about 4 minutes. Add grated gruyere cheese until melted. Stir in the cayenne pepper, additional wine, lemon juice, and remaining salt. Remove from heat and set aside, or cover and put in refrigerate if using later.
About 15 minutes before serving, reheat oven to 400 degrees F and warm soup over medium heat.
Beat egg whites until medium-stiff peaks form; pour batter into a clean bowl. Gently fold 1/3 of the beaten eggs into soup and add Parmesan cheese, folding until incorporated.
Divide soup into 6 oven-safe crocks and cover with a slice of toasted bread and a slice of Gruyere cheese. Spoon batter on top of toast rounds and place bowls on cookie sheet. Bake until batter has risen (about 20 minutes) and serve at once.
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Comments:
French Onion Soup Soufflé
Dinner January 6, 2007
The second part of our two course dinner was a twist on the popular bistro favorite: French Onion Soup.
French onion soup is on the menu at many local restaurants, and while always a good choice, it's never been anything to write home about... until now. Reiko's French Onion Soup was made with onions, brandy, bay leaves, thyme, and beef stock with a slice of bread placed on top. The magic however was in the top layer. Normally just covered with a layer of cheese, Reiko's version was topped with a soufflé of butter, flour, milk, gruyere cheese, cayenne pepper, egg whites and Parmesan cheese.
The idea for the soufflé top came from the Wall Street Journal's featured chef Polly Lappetito, executive chef at the Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant at the Napa Valley branch of the Culinary Institute of America. The soufflé provided an exceedingly delicious topping to Reiko's version of French Onion Soup, and took a basic bistro item to a whole new level of greatness!
