French Onion Soup At New Yorks Bar Boulud Recipes

FAMOUS BARR'S FRENCH ONION SOUP

Steps:

• Peel onions and slice 1/8 inch thick, preferably in a food processor.
• Melt butter in a 6-quart (or larger) stockpot. Add onions; cook, uncovered, over low heat for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• (The long cooking time makes the onions mellow and sweet.) Stir in pepper, paprika and bay leaf; saute over low heat 10 minutes more, stirring frequently.
• Pour in 6 cans broth and wine. Increase heat and bring to a boil.
• Dissolve flour in remaining 1 can broth.
• Stir into boiling soup.
• Reduce heat and simmer slowly for 2 hours.
• Adjust color to a rich brown with caramel coloring, season with salt. Refrigerate overnight. To serve, heat soup in microwave or on stove top.
• If desired, pour into ovenproof crocks or bowls.
• Top with a slice of bread and a sprinkling of grated cheese. Heat under the broiler until cheese melts and bubbles, about 5 minutes.
• Leftover soup can be frozen.

FRENCH ONION SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter in a heavy Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt, stir and cover, letting onions soften for 5 minutes. Remove lid and let onions caramelize until golden brown over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Adjust heat if onions are browning too quickly. The caramelization process may take 45 to 60 minutes.
• Meanwhile, warm broth in a saucepan over low heat.
• Once onions are caramelized, add wine and sherry to the pot and allow mixture to come to boil. Stir in flour and let thicken for a minute or two.
• Slowly add warm broth, 1/4 teaspoon salt and the pepper to the onion mixture and boil uncovered for 10 minutes. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
• Heat the broiler, and arrange individual ovenproof casseroles on a baking sheet. Ladle soup into casseroles, and cover top with bread slices. Sprinkle each casserole generously with Gruyère. Broil for a minute or two, watching carefully, until cheese melts and browns. Serve immediately.

BAR BOULUD'S FRENCH ONION SOUP

Steps:

• Method: Melt the butter in a large casserole or Dutch oven over medium heat. Put the garlic and sliced onions into the pot then immediately season with salt and pepper. Cook the onions until they have softened and released all excess water (about 10 minutes). Bring the heat down to low and allow the onions to caramelize slowly, stirring often, until they become a deep caramel color. This process should take about 40 minutes (depending on your onions, you might need even more time to color them seriously-be patient). Dust the onions with the flour and cook, still stirring, for an additional 5 minutes to toast the flour. Be sure to incorporate it thoroughly.
• Add the white wine and cook, stirring, until the wine evaporates almost completely.
• Take 2 sprigs Italian parsley, 2 sprigs thyme, 8 black peppercorns, 1 bay leaf, and tie in cheesecloth to create herb sachet.
• Cover the onions with the stock and toss in the herb sachet. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer for 60-90 minutes, or until the soup has a deep flavor. Make certain to skim the soup often as it cooks.
• If you're not serving the soup immediately, set it aside to cool, then cover and chill it; the soup can be kept in the refrigerator overnight. Once the soup is cold, spoon off and discard any fat on the surface. Reheat before serving.).
• At serving time, toast the slices of bread-you can do this under the broiler.
• To Serve: Pour the soup into a large oven-proof serving bowl or into individual ovenproof bowls. Cover the toasted slices of bread with grated Gruyère or Swiss cheese, float the bread in the soup, and run the soup under the broiler until the cheese melts. Serve immediately.