[/quote]Caramel coloring??? What the **** are you thinking? The process of cooking the onions should achieve the desired color! As for the flour, I can’t even address that one. Food processor?!!? Cans of over salted broth?!!? OMG! I would be embarrassed to serve such an inferior product. Just my humble opinion.

[:I]David O.[:I]
[/quote]

David,
It may not sound very good, BUT…I ate that soup once or twice a week for probably 10 years( My Dad was the watchmaker at the store)and it was outstanding. Almost every time we went there was a line out the door waiting to get a place to sit. Wish they were still there.
[/quote]

I remember going to the Woolworth’s in Dodge City, Kansas and getting the same kind of soup as a kid in the 70’s. At the time I thought it was good. Since I have been in the restaurant biz for the last 25 years and worked for a few French Chefs, I am hesitant to recommend your recipe.
I feel that it is always important to get the maximum yield from meat. That means making and freezing beef and other stocks. If you make your own stock you can control the salt so you don’t get that "salted broth" that someone else on this thread mentioned.
As for flour in the process; I don’t recommend it as the onions will congeal as they cook down with the broth because of the sugars and the starches naturally found in them (provided you give them an hour and a half or so to simmer.)
Using a food processor to slice the onions is ok but not recommended unless you are making a five gallon batch or more. It releases the water out of the onions too fast. Remember, this is a slow process!

Hope everybody had a great Holiday Season! I know that I ate, drank and was merry!!

[8D]David O.[;)]

quote:

Originally posted by boyardee65

quote:

Originally posted by Timntx

Here ya go……….

Famous-Barr’s French Onion Soup
One of St. Louis’s favorite soup recipes was recently printed in the Post-Dispatch. When I was a graduate student in St. Louis and we were young and broke, my Wife and I would visit this upscale department store called " Famous-Barr " just to eat at the store’s restaurant for this famous soup.

Famous-Barr’s French Onion Soup

5 pounds unpeeled onions
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons paprika
1 bay leaf
7 (about 16-ounce) cans beef broth, divided (recommended Swanson’s) 1 cup dry white wine, optional
3/4 cup all-purpose or instant flour (such as Wondra)
Caramel coloring or Kitchen Bouquet, optional
2 teaspoons salt, or french baguettes, optional
Swiss or Gruyere cheese, optional

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 breat and a sprinkling of grated cheese. Heat under the broiler until cheese melts and bubbles, about 5 minutes.

Leftover soup can be frozen.

Yield: 4 quarts; 16 servings.

Caramel coloring??? What the **** are you thinking? The process of cooking the onions should achieve the desired color! As for the flour, I can’t even address that one. Food processor?!!? Cans of over salted broth?!!? OMG! I would be embarrassed to serve such an inferior product. Just my humble opinion.

[:I]David O.[:I]

David,
It may not sound very good, BUT…I ate that soup once or twice a week for probably 10 years( My Dad was the watchmaker at the store)and it was outstanding. Almost every time we went there was a line out the door waiting to get a place to sit. Wish they were still there.

quote:

Originally posted by matilda

wheregregeats is dead?

"Chef Tell" is no longer with us; I have every reason to believe that Greg is still among us living.

I know it’s New Year’s Eve[:o)], but it’s still early on the east coast![:X]

wheregregeats is dead?

quote:

Originally posted by wheregreggeats.com

Eating onion soup out is a real crapshoot … usually it becomes salt juice.

Recommendations in this thread are appreciated … at least by me.

Your post and his recent passing reminded me of the time (1993) I was served an inedibly brackish onion soup by Chef Tell himself at his restaurant in Georgetown, Grand Cayman. He tasted it and spit it into his wine cup, apologized (oops!), and comped the meal! The rest of the meal was great and we returned again the next evening for another meal which included some wonderful onion soup. What a fine gentleman he was. "Salt juice" happens! And can happen to even the master chef.

Yesterday was Boeuf Bourgignon day. After a tasty breakfast at the Original Pancake House we went down to the Whole Foods in Plano and bought the ingredients. My wife and I divided the labor: she did the cooking and I watched the football. After six and one-half hours prep and cooking we enjoyed a wonderful dinner. I mention this just so I won’t seem to be a jacka*s when I give you our french onion soup recipe.

1) Purchase a can of Progresso "Vegetable Classics" Onion Soup. This is quite the trick here in Dallas as I have yet to see it on a grocery shelf. So, I order it on-line. (IF ANYONE IN DFW HAS SEEN IT LOCALLY, PLEASE ADVISE).
2) Do not read the ingredients, just open can and dump it into a sauce pan. Heat and season to taste. We add (for one can) 2 T of white wine and pepper and heat to a simmer.
3) Toast slices of a fresh baguette (The Voila Bakery in Allen makes the best in DFW).
4) Pour into two oven proof bowls, soak the toasted baguette. Top with either Gruyere or Mozzarella + Parmesian Reggiano.
5) Put in oven and broil until cheese is bubbly/brown.

Enjoy with remainder of baguette and butter. We usually have it with salad for a light dinner. I know that this is far more Rachel Ray than the late, esteemed Julia Child but it is always good and never turns into "salt juice".[;)]

quote:

Originally posted by annpeeples

MFL_I would imagine you can, my friend.But I think you would have to carmelize the onions first, then put everything else in the crock pot..and cook it on low.

I would think that caramelizing the onions would work rather well in a good Crock Pot. I think I will try it this weekend. I’ll make a full report!

Don

Matilda-you are correct!

You actually can saute in a slow cooker turned on high. Then turn it down to low once you’ve added the rest of the necessary ingredients.

MFL_I would imagine you can, my friend.But I think you would have to carmelize the onions first, then put everything else in the crock pot..and cook it on low.

quote:

Originally posted by MilwFoodlovers

Is it possible to utilize a crockpot when making onion soup?

Depends on whether you know what you’re doing.

Is it possible to utilize a crockpot when making onion soup?

quote:

Originally posted by lleechef

By all means, follow Julia’s recipe. Her recipes are flawless. Toast some thick slices of baguette, float them on top of the soup, add gruyere cheese and broil until the cheese is brown. Voila. By the way, does anyone here know when the French actually eat onion soup? Trivia!!!! Get this one right and I’ll be impressed…..or you lived in France. Come on Mr. Hoffman!!!

Historically, in rural areas of France, pots of soup were kept simmering on the stoves and contained the bounty of garden toil. Most prominent among the vegetables used in these kettles were those that had a long growing season and a long root cellar life. Onions, obviously, make the cut when it comes to this determination.

The soups were/are eaten throughout the day, every day. Even at breakfast.

So, in answer to your query, I will say, "breakfast."

quote:

Originally posted by leethebard

Hey guys,
If you’re ever in Manmhattan,try the Les Pyrenees restaurant. The best Onion soup I’ve ever had…even including France. I know they use two liquors(they said so),,but I don’t remember what.
leethebard

Brandy and Burbon no doubt. For the burbon I sugest useing
Makers Mark a very fine product. If you are a brandy fan stock up now. Brandy prices are poised to go thru the roof soon. Chow Jim

I remember Rubyrose posted this recipe on the soup forum when I was a newbie on Roadfood.I make this recipe all the time, and can vouch for its wonderful flavor…[:)]

I always enjoyed the onion soup at La Bonne Soupe on 55th St. in Manhattan. This is their recipe, which I’ve made many times.

FRENCH ONION SOUP – 4 servings

3 Tbs. butter
4 – 6 large sweet onions (about 1 1/2 – 2 pounds total), peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup dry white wine
2 quarts beef broth
2 ribs celery with leaves, each rib cut in half
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup dry fino sherry
4 to 6 slices baguette, cut 1/2 inch thick, lightly toasted
1/4 cup coarsely grated Emmental, Gruyere, or other Swiss-type cheese

Melt the butter in a 3 or 4 quart saucepan over low heat. Add the onions and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly caramelized, a minimum of 30 minutes. (The longer the onions cook slowly, the richer the flavor of the soup.)

Add the white wine and cook over medium-high heat until the wine reduces to about half, about 10 minutes. Add the broth, celery, salt and pepper and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover partially, and allow the soup to simmer until the onions are meltingly tender, about 40 minutes. Remove and discard the celery. Add the sherry and simmer soup for another 5 minutes.

To serve, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Ladle the soup into individual ovenproof bowls. Top each with 1 slice of bread, sprinkle with 1 Tbs. cheese, and place the bowls on a cookie sheet. Heat in the center of the preheated oven just until the cheese melts and bubbles, 5 to 6 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven and serve at once.