Winter is the perfect time for French Onion Soup

Cooking has always been a second nature to me. Sometimes I wonder if the skill is hereditary or just intuitive. After all I come from a family of great cooks.

I cherish the memories of learning to cook family recipes from my grandmother and mother. I would often call my grandmother and ask her how to cook a dish getting the recipe in an Italian/English combination without measurements and instructions other than her saying “you do”. Somehow I did and the dish would come out just like hers!

I also tend to create recipes by intuition, or by tasting the elements of the dish and researching techniques to recreate it. I watch PBS cooking shows and have picked some techniques up watching the show America Test Kitchens but I have not had any formal training. Well that all changed in January of 2017 when I attended Pot Au Feu’s “Ecole de Cuisine” which is French for cooking school.

So now when my husband and I get a craving for French food we head to Providence, RI to the Pot au Feu restaurant. This establishment located on historic Custom House Street in downtown Providence has been serving traditional French bistro favorites since 1972.

In addition to having wonderful food Pot Au Feu offers special events and a cooking class. The menu for the class is driven by teaching a variety of techniques. For instance, a great way to learn the proper use of a chef knife is to make French onion soup. I learned how to use a boning knife by preparing duck. I whisked the ingredients to make vinaigrette, made Pate a Choux (savory cream puff) to pipe into a perfect shape (I gave it a good try!) to hold the escargots (snails), boned and prepped the duck for roasting, made ratatouille, roasted potatoes and Crepes. I must tell you that learning to flip Crepes was not easy!  Not only did I have to cook a five-course meal I had to plate and serve the dinner to my guests. Once they gave their approval I received my diploma. The diploma is quite impressive as it states:

I enjoyed coq au vin and wine for lunch and learn to pair the wines for dinner. It was a wonderful day and a great experience. Even if I’m not quite a Crepe flipping expert it was a great day. Pot au Feu has offered the Ecole de Cuisine since 1987.

Since the weather is chilly outside it’s a great day for soup.

This recipe makes four servings.

French Onion Soup

Ingredients:

10 tablespoons of unsalted butter

1 tablespoon virgin olive oil

6 cups (2-3 large) Vidalia onions, halved lengthwise, peeled and thinly sliced

Note: onion skins= a bitter taste

5 cups of beef broth

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup dry sherry

1 teaspoon dried thyme or 4 sprigs fresh thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

1 baguette

4 slices of either Swiss or provolone cheese

1/2 cup grated gruyere cheese

Directions:

Melt 8 tablespoons of butter with olive oil in a 8 quart stock pot on medium heat, add onions, continually stirring until onions reach a deep golden brown and caramelized, about 30 minutes. Raise heat and add sherry, cook until almost evaporated. Add the beef and chicken broths, and thyme to the pan, bring to boil, and then simmer broth is thicken, about 30 minutes. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and adjust seasonings if needed. Cut baguette in 1/2-inch slices and toast until crisp and dry. Add soup to ovenproof bowls, top with baguette slices, add cheese, and broil until cheese bubbles and browns slightly.