Wednesday, January 5, 2011

A Soup for the French, and the Gods

What to do with a bag of red onions? Why, those onions are just crying to become French onion soup! You would think it would be hard to make this bowl of rich and juicy onions topped in crusty gruyere. Not so. If I can do it while watching Benjamin Button, you can too. Just gather the ingredients and this dish--made possible by the Food Network's Tyler Florence, whose recipe I've duplicated below--is all yours for just a few bucks. And I must say, the flavor brings back to flashing images of Paris and my mom's beefy, juicy, brisket. Not a bad combination....

RICH AND HEAVENLY FRENCH ONION SOUP


THE GOODS

1/2 cup unsalted butter ($1)
4 onions, sliced ($2.69)
2 garlic cloves, chopped ($1)
2 bay leaves ($1.49)
2 fresh thyme sprigs (not sure how much this would cost you because I got mine from the garden)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup red wine, about 1/2 bottle ($1.99)
3 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour ($2.99)
2 quarts beef broth (I use pareve beef buillon, $3.49)
1 baguette, sliced ($1)
1/2 pound grated Gruyere ($2.49)

The Grand Total: $18.14 for about 4 servings, or $4.54 per serving

THE WAY
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 25 minutes.






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. 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.



Now add the beef broth, bring the soup back to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.










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. Ladle the soup in bowls and float several of the Gruyere croutons on top.

Alternative method: 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.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Flatbread with an Attitude

It's been a while since I last wrote, but good things have been in the works in my kitchen. One notable night featured a surprise visit from a couple old friends, a bottle of wine, and a survey of the ingredients available in my refrigerator. Juggling a granny smith apple, a bag of arugula, a handle of vodka--yes, a handle of vodka--and my wine glass, I served up a flatbread that was crunchy, creamy, warm, sweet and tart all at once. Thanks to this great flatbread recipe from The Meaning of Pie and a bit of creativity, dinner was served.

GRUYERE, GRANNY SMITH APPLE, AND ARUGULA FLATBREAD WITH BALSAMIC GLAZE


THE GOODS

For the crust:
2 teaspoons vodka ($2.99)
Half an egg (scramble it and eye-ball it) ($0.12)
½ cup plus 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour, sifted ($2.99)
1/8 teaspoon baking powder ($1.39)
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, softened ($1)
2 Tablespoons olive oil (for batter)
2 Tablespoons olive oil (for the skillet)
½ cup water
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

For the topping:
About 1-2 cups of gruyere cheese ($2.49)
1 granny smith apple ($0.49)
A couple handfuls of arugula ($1.99)
Balsamic vinegar ($1.99)
Optional: shaved parmesan or asiago cheese

The Grand Total: $15.45

THE WAY

Grate the cheese and slice the apple. Grab a baking pan or a cast iron skillet that is about 12 inches in diameter. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees with the pan inside.

Meanwhile, combine the water, vodka, olive oil, and half an egg. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk them together.

Carefully remove the HOT pan from the oven. Pour the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the skillet and spread it around with a paper towel or a spatula. Immediately pour in the batter and spread it to the edges of the pan to the extent possible using a wooden or rubber spatula. It will be cooking as you spread so just do the best you can and then let it be. Dot the batter with butter…and by that I mean put 8 or 10 little spots of butter around the pan.

Carefully return the pan to the oven for an additional 15 to 20 minutes. Check it at 15 minutes to make sure it isn’t getting too browned and sprinkle the cheese on top. Assemble the granny smith apple slices on top of the cheese.

While you're waiting for the flatbread to cook, pour about 3 cups of balsamic into another sautee pan, and cook it over medium heat until it condenses to the consistency of a glaze -- about 5-10 minutes. Grate the cheese and slice the apples.

Carefully remove the pan back to the stove-top (just because it is the most heat-safe spot). With a large spatula, remove the bread to a cutting board. Place the arugula on top and drizzle with balsamic glaze. Cut into pieces and serve.