Tennessee Onion Soup
I have been waiting for the spring onions to come up so I can make French Onion Soup like the soup we had in France. I got 5 giant spring onions from the Franklin Farmers Market, and drove home. I had not one clue about how to make this soup, so Matt found a great recipe from Fine Cooking #47. I used it as a guide, but I had to improvise. I used mostly local ingredients for my soup, so I could call it Tennessee Onion Soup, not French Onion Soup.
my Tennessee Onion SoupThe recipe I used went kind of like this:
4 oz Amish Butter (OMG Delicious!)
5 locally grown giant thinly sliced spring onions
2 locally grown cloves garlic minced
organic thyme and oregano from my garden
bay leaf
salt and pepper
1 cup of unoaked Macon, Burgundy, France Chard
4 cups chicken broth (better if you make it!)
French bread toast rounds
local Kenny's Cheese gouda shredded
4 oz Amish Butter (OMG Delicious!)
5 locally grown giant thinly sliced spring onions
2 locally grown cloves garlic minced
organic thyme and oregano from my garden
bay leaf
salt and pepper
1 cup of unoaked Macon, Burgundy, France Chard
4 cups chicken broth (better if you make it!)
French bread toast rounds
local Kenny's Cheese gouda shredded
1. in a dutch oven melt butter
2. add sliced onions and garlic to carmelize over med-low heat (45 min)
3. add a little salt, pepper, thyme, oregano and bay leaf
4. raise to med heat, add cup of wine until rapid boil, and scrape brown bits off bottom
5. add chicken stock until boil, then reduce heat to a simmer for 20 min
6. ladle soup into a bowl
7. on the table have a plate of toast rounds and a bowl of shredded cheese
8. top soup to taste with toast and cheese
2. add sliced onions and garlic to carmelize over med-low heat (45 min)
3. add a little salt, pepper, thyme, oregano and bay leaf
4. raise to med heat, add cup of wine until rapid boil, and scrape brown bits off bottom
5. add chicken stock until boil, then reduce heat to a simmer for 20 min
6. ladle soup into a bowl
7. on the table have a plate of toast rounds and a bowl of shredded cheese
8. top soup to taste with toast and cheese
French Onion Soup in Burgundy FranceAs you might recall, while in France, we got French Onion Soup. I think I made a soup that rivals the fabulous soup we had in France. It is quite a bit more work to make the soup from scratch, but is it oh so worth it. It was umami! I had two bowls of it for dinner tonight. It was so good, I could eat 3 or 4 bowls if I wasn't full. This soup is nothing like the soup mix stuff, this soup rocks! I think the reason why this soup rocks is because of my base ingredients. All my ingredients were really quite flavorful and delicious. The Amish butter tastes so close to the French Butter. The fresh organic herbs are really powerful and umami. The Macon Burgundy Chardonnay was perfectly dry and unoaked, and lent the perfect gentle acidity to the soup. The onions were sweet and milder than regular USA yellow onions, and the spring onions lent almost a shallot like flavor.
I have to wait to make this soup again. I did not see any spring onions at the Farmers Market this week. Mamushi Farm, where I get my local organic chicken, won't have chickens ready to slaughter for another 4 weeks. Until next time, Bon Apetit!
10 Comments:
You certainly get the best ingredients! I think we may have to try this. Normally Katie can't eat french onion soup because of the broth, but I think your version would work with mushroom or veggie stock. what do you think?
OH, Definitely try making the soup! I so love this soup! I would like to see your blog about a veggie version of this soup! Definitely mushroom stock would work (many mushrooms are sooo umami! yum) made with some flat leaf parsley because the original Fine Cooking recipe called for flat leaf parsley. The Amish butter I got from the Produce Place, and it was a an important player because of the deep cream and buttery flavor you cannot get in regular grocery butter. The French bread Matt got from Whole Foods and he was right, it is the closest to what we had in France. BTW, while making the soup, I kept eating slabs of bread and Amish Butter, and I nearly had to send Matt back out to get more bread (that butter is so good!). I used Kenny's Cheese Gouda because it is what I had on hand, and the medium flavor was close enough, and luckily it worked out. Definitely try making this delicious soup! I can't wait to see it on your blog!
OMG. I love french onion soup. It looks so good in your pics.
BTW, thanks for the vandy advice - maybe we'll see each other at the track sometime.
Oh how wonderful looking Lannae! I have never tried the gouda in mine but surely will next time!
Hi Nicole, you really have made moving hundreds of miles look like a breeze. You are truly incredible! I love French onion soup too!
Hi WineDeb, the gouda is really tasty, it gave a nice buttery flavor, but a little goopy to grate. Next time, I may freeze a small block of it before grating.
Lannae,
It's sad that I lived in Pgh for twenty year without the knownledge of what a culinary goldmine it was! True, I could not drive for the first 16, but still I should have known. I know about the fabulous fish market (Wholey's is very well known), but I was unaware of all the other jewels in the strip. This past year, the husband, dogs, and I drove back and forth to Pgh several time, though I do not forsee that many road trips in the next year, but I promise to let you know when I drive there and we'll bring back whatever you order. Thanks for the tips!
Hi Natalie, The Burgh is AWESOME! I love the Burgh and the Strip, they are a culinary delight!
I have just learned the European butter is made with lightly fermented cream, rather than sweet cream like American butter - thus the different taste.
Your soup look yummy.
Onion soup is the traditional end to weddings here in the country - about 4 or 5 in the morning the bride's mother serves it to any remaining guests.
KZ, thank you for the butter and soup info. The French butter, even the industrial butter from the grocery store is fabulously delicious! I wonder if I can get slightly fermented creamery butter here in the USA.
What an interesting tradition with the onion soup. Why do you suppose that is a tradition? I like it. If ever I am invited to a French wedding, I will have to be a lingering guest to try some French onion soup!
KZ, thank you for the butter and soup info. The French butter, even the industrial butter from the grocery store is fabulously delicious! I wonder if I can get slightly fermented creamery butter here in the USA.
What an interesting tradition with the onion soup. Why do you suppose that is a tradition? I like it. If ever I am invited to a French wedding, I will have to be a lingering guest to try some French onion soup!
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