Whisk Wednesdays: Onion Gratinee

 

Ahhh, the French Onion Soup.  Can you believe I have never had French Onion Soup?  Never!  What is wrong with me?  Broiled, cheesy goodness? A big hunk of bread? Onions? In soup form!?  What is up with these French and their brilliant creations?  Even the lactose intolerant can't resist. 

What happens to lactose intolerant people in France?  There is a lot of cheese served in that country.  Those poor people. Either live your life with pills and cheese or suffer the consequences. *Sigh*

But I digress.  The soup went beautifully. But AGAIN, it tasted bitter. It has to be the wine!  Sarah of The Wine Makers Wife, what do you suggest I use? This time, I used a Chardonnay. Bitter! GAH!  I had to add more water and salt and pepper to get that bitter flavor out.  Thankfully, it worked.

Again, I whipped out my trusty ramekins. I don't know how I lived before them. 

Maybe I needed to add a bit more cheese, but the amount of cheese I had already used to cover the top was astounding.  I felt my arteries clogging with each sprinkle of gruyere.  Could you imagine how much cheese the restaurants actually use!?  I shudder at the thought.

The flavor was subtle, and I feel that the US version may be made with beef broth. I could be wrong and I'm too lazy to look it up.  The color on this soup was a lot softer than I remember seeing (not tasting) in French Onion soup, and for some reason I expected the flavor to be bolder.  My boyfriend also agreed, while scooping up the last bites of his soup and reaching over and grabbing my ramekin to finish my soup.

I think the biggest reason men like having girlfriends is because they get to eat one and a half meals- their own and their significant other's.

Check out the rest of the blogroll here for more cheesy (in a good way) goodness.  Not for the faint of stomach. 

Comments

[Natashya]

You are right, it is usually made with beef stock and has more oomph. Congrats on your first french onion soup. I am sure you will make many more - with your own spin.

[Maya]

I love to make mine in the winter months. I often use vegetable stock and it tastes wonderful! By the way, I think the cheese is the best part :)

[Maya]

I love to make mine in the winter months. I often use vegetable stock and it tastes wonderful! By the way, I think the cheese is the best part :)

[Maya]

I love to make mine in the winter months. I often use vegetable stock and it tastes wonderful! By the way, I think the cheese is the best part :)

[Glennis - Can't Believe We Ate]

Someone suggested last time that perhaps the parsley was bitter... So, when I made my bouquet garni, I tasted the parsley first. Yep. One of the pieces was bitter. We've had some incredibly hot weather here off and on, and that will change the flavor of some herbs. It's worth a thought. I suppose even that which we buy could be affected by heat or elements.
Regardless...your soup is lovely! I can almost taste it! On to split pea soup French Style!

[Shari]

Wow, I'm amazed that you've missed out on French Onion Soup until now, but glad you tried it and liked it. I've made it with beef and veal stock before, but my favorite was this one. I guess I prefer a more subtle taste. Yours looks delicious and cheesy!

[shelley]

I love reading your blog posts -- they are so funny. Your soup looks like it turned out beautifully and tasted good, too, in spite of the bitterness.

I read Glennis's comment about the bitter parsley, which I thought was very interesting. Maybe the parsley IS what's causing your problems.

I cheated with my bouquet garni on this recipe, using dried herbs (and fresh celery and leek cut small) tied up in a cute little cheesecloth bundle. Maybe you could try that and get away from the fresh parsley?

[sara]

I like your one and a half meal theory about men and liking their girlfriends!

I bgean writign you back about the wine, but I am so long winded that I will post on my page about it. So do check me out in about an hour. Best!
-Sara