"french onion soup" news and stories

'The Balthazar Cookbook'
By Keith McNally, Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson
Clarkson Potter Publishers -- 2003
Buy it on Amazon

If you ever thought delectable French food could only be attained at overpriced restaurants, this cookbook by Balthazar restaurateur Keith McNally and company will prove you wrong. And hats off to them for revealing the beauty of French cooking: For the most part, it necessitates a minimal amount of ingredients (of good quality, bien sûr), executed to perfection.

See what we tested and whether the book is worth buying after the jump.

French Onion Soup is a delicious meal on its own, but instead of repeats the next day, turn your soup into a rich and creamy gravy.

I am far from a vegan, and I'm inclined to agree with anyone who says that French Onion Soup isn't French Onion Soup without the rich, tasty meat flavor. That being said, I'm immensely intrigued by a new foodie video that's popped up over on YouTube, which you can see above.

Unlike many FOS recipes that use Brandy, this variety uses rum, and then a collection of ingredients that sound like they could make for a tasty, albeit different experience. Granted, there's no way I'd not add cheese to the mix (and some good, crusty bread), but this sounds like it could be quite tasty -- and something I'll try in the near future.

I also like the style of the video. The soup is very simple, so the entire prep is shown on fast-forward, with overlayed text. Enjoy!

Earlier today I said that cereal was the ultimate "bowl" food, but I'm sure a lot of you think that soup would be number one in that category. And I really can't argue against that. I think it's a toss up, really.

One of my favorites is French Onion Soup. All that oniony goodness and the dripping gooey cheese on top (though I hate eating it in front of someone else - too messy). This recipe touts itself as "the best onion soup you'll ever have." The recipe includes red wine.

I still remember the first time I tasted french onion soup. We were out to dinner with my grandparents (I must have been seven or eight) and my sister and I were allowed to order anything we wanted. As we were checking out the menu, I saw a waitress go by with a little crock-shaped bowl with melted cheese on it. I knew I had to have it. Thus started a life-long love affair with this delicious soup.

Over the last twenty years I've had some good french onion soup, some bad and some sadly mediocre bowls too. I've experimented with making it totally from scratch and in a pinch have followed Rachael Ray's short cut recipe. Last week the Oregonian's Foodday featured this classic soup, making me consider another round of trial and experimentation. If you're in need of a good, warming bowl of soup, you should check out that article and accompanying recipes.

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