Deconstructing classic French onion soup

Few things are more promising than a piping-hot bowl of French onion soup placed before you on a brisk day, its fragrant liquid beneath a toasted raft topped with golden cheese that will soon be stringing from your mouth. How frustrating, then, to discover something skimpy, with bready mush and pale onions, devoid of flavor.

Having been subjected to three such disappointing examples at restaurants in the fall, I decided to work through what it takes to make a soul-satisfying version. Not reinventing the wheel; just returning it to the right course.

Onions became the focal point of my tinkering with other cold-weather classics, including croque monsieur, baked stuffed onions, and a savory tart.

The soup has three make-or-break components: broth, onions, cheese. An excellent rendition is layered with flavor and nuance. It starts with an excellent stock; without it, your soup will be average, at best. That means the store-bought stuff in cartons is out.

But stock on its own doesn't guarantee success. To be honest, my first attempt was surprisingly weak even though I used homemade veal stock. Essentially, it's best to make a stock from your stock; that is, bump it up by simmering it for 35 to 45 minutes with several skin-on onions (to deepen the stock's color), celery with leaves (packed with flavor), thyme, black peppercorns, and bay leaves. Don't use carrots; caramelized onions will provide the final product with enough sweetness.

Having run out of veal stock, I used turkey stock and realized that any hearty meat stock (chicken, duck, beef) works in this soup as a fine foil for the onions. The best result, though, came to me by coincidence. I had smoked a couple of chickens for dinner the night before and had filled the drip pan underneath them with aromatics, the chicken's neck and innards, and herbs. That yielded a rich, smoky stock that went into my soup because it was there; it really made the caramel quality of the onions pop and added a layer of flavor I hadn't thought of before.

By the way, I'm not against using some bouillon cubes or onion powder or salt to add flavor, or even Kitchen Bouquet to deepen the color of a broth that looks wishy-washy.

Experimenting with yellow, white, and Vidalia onions, I discovered that, yes, the Vidalias were sweetest; in fact, too much so to use on their own. I discerned little difference between the yellow and white onions. The soup versions with all yellow onions and half yellow/half Vidalia both had a fine balance of sweet to savory.

You will notice that when you cook onions, they become sweet and remain acrid at the same time, and their odor lingers for quite a while. That is because they contain a good amount of sulfur. When you cut onions, cells are crushed, releasing the sulfuric gas that induces tears that burn. I have no special trick for avoiding the problem, although I certainly have tried more than a few. Just power through the process - and use a food processor for slicing.

The goal in caramelizing onions is to get some color, and therefore flavor, on them quickly and cook them long enough to get rid of their water (10 cups of raw will reduce to barely two cups cooked) and deepen their flavor.

To that end, I place a large saute pan over medium-high heat. When it is very hot, I spread the onions in the pan and don't touch them for several minutes so their moisture starts to evaporate. Then I add fat and still let them be for several minutes, until I notice that caramelization has begun. At that point, I season, stir, reduce the heat, and cook for about 25 minutes, stirring and scraping up browned bits from the bottom every so often. Result: deeply browned strands of concentrated flavor and sweetness.

Into a pot they go with the stock for simmering and melding, fortified with bay leaves (for me, an integral ingredient in the caramelization process as well, because they imbue the onions with herbal and spice qualities), and finished with port wine (for its depth and caramel quality) and fresh chopped thyme. Adding those ingredients too soon diminishes their impact greatly.

Gruyere, a firm cow's-milk cheese from Switzerland, is the standard for onion soup because of its distinctive nutty notes. But I found that a mixture of cheeses provided more complexity and interest. Plus, when Gruyere browns, it can leave a bitter aftertaste. After experimenting, I settled on semi-soft fontal, a melty and much less expensive Italian cheese, which added the creamy note I sought.

Over the next few days, the caramelized onions from my various test batches got mixed with sour cream for a quick dip and heated with cream, chopped spinach, and garlic for a side dish. I have no doubt that in the coming cold days and nights, with the aid of quarts of oniony broth in my freezer, I will be fulfilling the promise of a satisfying French onion soup.

Makes 6 servings

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For the onions: 

1 1/2 pounds (3 medium) yellow onions, peeled, halved and sliced into 1/4-inch half-moons

2 fresh bay leaves

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

For the Mornay sauce:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Pinch grated fresh nutmeg

1 cup warm milk

1 cup grated Gruyere cheese

For the tart:  

One 9-inch, prebaked tart shell, in its pan

3 ounces very thinly sliced Virginia or Black Forest ham

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1. For the onions: Heat a large saute pan over medium heat for several minutes. Spread the onions evenly in the pan, along with the bay leaves, and let them sit untouched for a couple of minutes. Drizzle the oil evenly over them and dot with butter. Do not stir them for several minutes. (The goal is to let some of the onions' moisture evaporate and to get some good color on the onions at the start. Once you stir, water will be released, and the caramelizing will end until that water evaporates.) Stir the onions, using a flat-edged wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let the onions cook, stirring often, for 20 to 25 minutes, until they are golden brown and nicely caramelized. Stir in the chopped thyme. Keep the onions warm on low heat if you are making the tart immediately; or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

2. Meanwhile, make the Mornay sauce: Heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until the butter bubbles. Whisk in the flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and cook for 2 or 3 minutes, to create a nutty-brown roux. Slowly whisk in the milk, beating constantly to prevent lumps. Cook the sauce for 2 or 3 minutes, until well thickened and bubbling. Remove from the heat and add the cheese, stirring until it is melted.

3. For the tart: Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the broiler to high. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the prebaked tart shell on the baking sheet. Spread the warm onions evenly in the bottom of the tart shell, cover with the ham slices, and top evenly with the Mornay sauce. Broil for 4 or 5 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and nicely browned. Serve immediately.

Per serving: 550 calories, 14 grams protein, 42 grams carbohydrates, 10 grams sugar, 37 grams fat, 95 milligrams cholesterol, 670 milligrams sodium, 3 grams dietary fiber.

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Makes 4 sandwiches

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For the onions:

1/2 pound (1 medium) yellow onion, peeled, halved and sliced into 1/4-inch half-moons

1 small fresh bay leaf

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into 4 cubes

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

For the Mornay sauce:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly  ground black pepper

A few grates of fresh nutmeg or 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup warm milk

1 cup grated Gruyere cheese

For the sandwiches:

1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese

1/2 cup grated fontal cheese

8 slices country bread,  about 7 inches across and 1/2-inch thick

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick)  unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard

1/2 cup caramelized onions

6 ounces Camembert cheese, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

8 ounces very thinly sliced Virginia or Black Forest ham (see note)

1 cup Mornay sauce

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1. For the onions: Heat a large saute pan over medium heat for several minutes. Spread the onions evenly in the pan, along with the bay leaf, and let them sit untouched for a couple of minutes. Drizzle the oil evenly over them and dot with butter. Do not stir them for several minutes. (The goal is to let some of the onion's moisture evaporate and to get some good color on the onions at the start. Once you stir, water will be released, and the caramelizing will end until that water evaporates.) Stir the onions, using a flat-edged wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let the onions cook, stirring often, for 20 to 25 minutes, until they are golden brown and nicely caramelized. The yield is about 1/2 cup.

2. For the Mornay sauce: Heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until it bubbles. Whisk in the flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and cook for 2 or 3 minutes, to create a nutty-brown roux. Slowly whisk in the milk, beating constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Cook the sauce for 2 or 3 minutes, until well thickened and bubbling. Remove from the heat and add the cheese, stirring until it is melted. The yield is about 11/4 cups.

3. For the sandwiches: Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the broiler to high. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Combine the Gruyere and fontal cheeses in a small bowl.

4. Completely cover each slice of bread with butter on one side and with mustard on the other side. Place 4 of the slices in a large nonstick skillet, buttered side down. Top each slice with 2 tablespoons of caramelized onions, Camembert slices, ham slices, and 1/4 cup of the grated cheese mixture. Top each with a slice of bread, buttered side up. Cook the sandwiches over medium heat until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes, lightly pressing down on them with a spatula to ensure even toasting. Carefully turn the sandwiches over and toast them on the second side until golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes.

5. Transfer the sandwiches to the baking sheet and spread about 1/4 cup of Mornay sauce over each one. Broil for 3 or 4 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and nicely browned. Serve right away.

Note: Deli ham in grocery stores often is loaded with water. It is a good idea to portion the ham for your sandwiches, place the portions on a plate between a double thickness of paper towels, and microwave the ham for 30 seconds. This releases a lot of the water. Blot the ham with the paper towels as much as possible.

Per half-sandwich: 410 calories, 19 grams protein, 25 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams sugar, 26 grams fat, 80 milligrams cholesterol, 950 milligrams sodium, no dietary fiber.EndText

Makes 8 servings

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1 baguette, cut into 1/2-inch slices

2 pounds (4 medium) yellow onions, peeled, halved from top to bottom and sliced into 1/4-inch half-moons

4 large fresh bay leaves 2 tablespoons canola  oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

8 cups homemade veal, beef, chicken stock

1/3 cup port (may sub Madeira, sherry or dry vermouth)

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

2 cups grated Gruyere cheese

2 cups grated fontal cheese

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1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spread the baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake them for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned and hard.

2. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat for several minutes. Spread the onions evenly in the pan, along with 2 of the bay leaves, and let them sit untouched for a couple of minutes. Drizzle the oil evenly over them and dot with butter. Do not stir them for several minutes. (The goal is to let some of the onion's moisture evaporate and to get some good color on the onions at the start. Once you stir, water will be released, and the caramelizing will end until that water evaporates.) Stir the onions, using a flat-edged wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let the onions cook, stirring often, for 20 to 25 minutes, until they are golden brown and nicely caramelized.

3. Transfer the onions to a large pot and add the 2 remaining bay leaves, the onion powder, and the stock. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and let the soup cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes, adjusting the heat to keep it at a very slow boil.

4. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the broiler to high. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and place 8 onion soup crocks on it.

5. Stir the port and thyme into the hot soup, and ladle it into the crocks, stopping a half-inch short of their rims. Discard bay leaves. Float 2 or 3 slices of baguette on top: You want to cover the surface of the soup without the bread overlapping. Combine the Gruyere and fontal cheese in a small bowl. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the cheese mixture evenly over the toasts in each crock (don't skimp!) and broil for 3 or 4 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and well browned. Serve immediately.

Per serving: 440 calories, 21 grams protein, 29 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams sugar, 25 grams fat, 95 milligrams cholesterol, 670 milligrams sodium, 2 grams dietary fiber.