A Tribute to French Onion Soup and my G-ma

As the week comes to a close my grandmother is returning home from a 4 week stay at a rehabilitation center.  My paternal grandma is 87 years young and a lover of shoes and French Onion Soup.  Both l adore as well. As for the French Onion Soup, it was considered a “poor man’s food,” and has been around since the Greeks and Romans.   The French Onion soup that we are used to with a layer of crispy bread and melted cheese came about in the 18th century from you guessed it the French.  The soup became a hit again in America in the 60’s when French cooking was emerging.  

For as long as I can remember my grandma would always sample the onion soup whenever we would go out for our afternoon lunches.  She would ask the waiter or waitress how their soup was and if it was salty?   She would sample it and after a few bites announce her opinion “eh” was a popular statement and if you were lucky she would state “Oh this is good. Better than that other place what was it?”  We would then play the game of which restaurant she was referring to until she would because frustrated and say “I don’t know, it will come to me.”  As my G-ma and I would tackle the cheese and bread in our soup she would share stories of her life as a “younging,” or engage me conversation about how different our lives are.  Some of her stories would be repetitive yet it was like I never heard the story and it filled me with questions and warmth.   She would never look up from her soup until she was full or done, where she would state how good or bad the soup was.  We would sit and finish our lunches and share in laughter and tears.  Lunch always finished with coffee and a recap of the soup and if she would share the secret with her friends.  As I drop her off at her building she kisses me goodbye and tells me how wonderful this was and how she looks forward to lunch again, soon.  So while my gma spends the last and final days recovering and preparing to head home I celebrate for joy to know that soon we will again be on the adventure to find the best French Onion Soup, and share stories of when she was younger.  So in tribute to all French Onion Soup lovers and my G-ma I leave you with a recipe and bid you jouir de..

Ingredients

o    4 tablespoons unsalted butter

o    1 large Vidalia onion

o    1 teaspoon sugar

o    1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

o    3 cups Homemade Beef Stock

o    Salt and freshly ground black pepper

o    Sliced bread about ½ inch thick

o    Grated cheese (traditionally Gruyere is used but feel free to experiment)

Directions

1. Melt butter in a pot on medium-low heat. Add onions. Spread them out in as thin a layer as possible. Sprinkle with sugar, and cook, stirring just as needed to keep onions from sticking, until they are melting and soft, golden brown, and beginning to caramelize and turn a dark brown.  Don’t want to wait that long, give the onions a chance to at least caramelize.
2. Sprinkle flour over onions, and stir to coat. Add stock and bring to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, for about 30 minutes, to allow the flavors to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Meanwhile, lightly toast bread under a broiler; set aside. Ladle hot soup into six ovenproof bowls. Arrange the bowls on a baking pan. Place 1 or 2 slices of toasted bread over each bowl of soup. Sprinkle grated cheese over bread in each bowl, and place under the broiler until cheese is melted and crusty brown around the edges. Watch carefully that bread doesn't burn. Serve immediately.