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12.16.2007

Playing with the Classics: French Onion Soup Gratinee


I'm alone again as Certain Someone has flown off to yet another business trip. In thinking about dinner for one , with some leftovers I was stumped. I ran across some inexpensive beef shanks and immediately thought of soup. A french onion soup to be exact. I remember my first as a young high school student in Washington DC. On a field trip, I had the most incredible soup chock full of onions , beef and topped with gooey Gruyere. Heaven! I have rarely come across a onion soup I didn't like, but none compare like your first. And I liked the heartiness of the beef floating in it.


So I decided to roast the shanks and onions until caramelized and brown, deglaze with red wine and chicken stock,add spices , herbs and some beef soup base, water and slowly cook until the meat was tender and started to fall of the shanks. If you don't want to go through all of that but want the gist of a perfect example try this recipe. Either way its all good. I couldn't find Gruyere so I settled on a tangy Fontinilla cheese( Italian, I know) and it did just the trick.Hopefully there will be some leftover soup in the freezer when Certain Someone comes back home.

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8 comments:

african vanielje said...

Yum. DOn't know what else to say really as that looks just perfect for the weather today.

Proud Italian Cook said...

Glamah, your soup looks delicious perfect for the cold days we're having right now. I actually love fontina cheese with onion soup, I think it melts beautiful, and it tastes just as good! Nice job!!

Deborah said...

I have actually never had an onion soup with beef in it! This sounds wonderful!!

Cynthia said...

Hopefully there will be some leftover soup in the freezer when Certain Someone comes back home. - one can only hope :)

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Your soup looks gorgeously comforting and tasty! Yummy


Cheers,

Rosa

Anonymous said...

Yes, perfect for chilly days. We put a piece of bruschetta on top before the cheese. Do you ever do that?

marias23 said...

Wow! That sure is a delicious-looking dinner for one! I'm sure your certain someone will appreciate such wonderful leftovers :)

By the way, it's so perfect considering the ton of snow we've gotten lately!

glamah16 said...

Thanks all of you!
Maryanne:
I've never tried Brushetta on top. Sounds like a winner. I learn so much from you guys.