Onion Soup With Garlic Crouton Poached Egg And Gruyere Food

ONE-POT FRENCH ONION SOUP WITH GARLIC-GRUYèRE CROUTONS

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a 6-quart Dutch oven over high heat. Add the oxtail (or beef shoulder) in a single layer (work in batches, if necessary to avoid crowding the pan), and sear until the undersides are brown (do not turn). Season generously with salt and transfer to a plate.
• Coarsely chop two of the onions; add to the pot, along with the celery, carrots, bay leaves and thyme. Lower heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft and beginning to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Return the beef to the pot. Pour in 8 cups water. Simmer mixture gently until the meat is very tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
• Transfer beef to a bowl to cool for another use. Strain liquid into a bowl over a fine-mesh sieve; press gently on the solids with the back of a spatula to extract as much flavor as possible. Discard the solids; you should have about 10 cups broth (add water if necessary to equal 10 cups).
• Halve the remaining 6 onions through the root end, then peel and thinly slice them lengthwise. Melt the butter in the bottom of the Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, tossing occasionally, until deep golden-brown and caramelized, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Pour in the port and cook, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, for 3 minutes. Pour in the broth and simmer mixture over low heat for 30 minutes. Season with salt and lemon juice, if desired. (For a smaller group, you could refrigerate some of the soup and reheat it later.)
• While the broth simmers, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet and toast until golden, about 12 minutes. Rub the garlic halves over the surface of the bread.
• Heat the broiler and arrange a rack 4 to 6 inches from the flame. Using a cheese slicer, thinly slice 3 ounces of Gruyère. Coarsely grate the remaining cheese. Float the broiled bread over the surface of the hot soup. Layer the cheese slices over the bread; scatter the grated cheese over it. Transfer the Dutch oven to the oven and broil until cheese is golden and bubbling, 3 to 5 minutes (watch to see that it does not burn).
• To serve, use kitchen shears or scissors to cut the bread and cheese into portions. Ladle soup, bread and cheese into individual bowls.

ONION SOUP WITH GRUYèRE CROUTONS

Steps:

• Heat a large saucepan over a high heat, add the butter and melt without browning. Add the onions and fry gently for five minutes, stirring frequently. Season with half a teaspoon of salt and a couple of pinches of pepper.
• Continue to cook the onions over a medium heat for 20-30 minutes, or until they are an even, rich brown caramel colour. Stir every 2-3 minutes so they don't burn. Be patient! It will take about 20 minutes to get the onions to the colour that will give the best flavour to the soup. Once cooked, stir the flour into the caramelised onions and mix well.
• Stir in 200ml/7fl oz stock and whisk well to create a thick sauce and scrape up any tasty sticky bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining stock, whisking as you add and bring to the boil, skimming off any foam on the surface. Then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper as necessary.
• Meanwhile, heat the grill to hot. Arrange the sliced baguette on a baking tray and sprinkle two-thirds of the grated cheese over them. Place under the hot grill for 3-4 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned.
• Serve the hot soup in bowl with the Gruyère croutons floating on top. Sprinkle over the remaining gruyere and serve immediately.

ONION SOUP WITH GARLIC CROUTON, POACHED EGG, AND GRUYERE

Steps:

• Put the duck fat in a large pot over medium-low heat. When the fat has melted, swirl the pan around to coat and add the onions, sliced garlic, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and tender and your kitchen smells amazing, 20 to 25 minutes. This is not the time to go check emails-keep an eye on the onions and don't allow them to get too brown.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Pour in the beef broth, bring to a simmer, and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Meanwhile, make the croutons. In a small bowl combine the oil and minced garlic. Brush the baguette slices with the garlic oil and arrange side by side on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Bake until golden, 5 to 8 minutes. Set aside.
• Pour the chicken stock and vinegar into a wide pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. When the liquid is just barely bubbling, carefully crack 1 of the eggs into a small cup or ladle and gently pour the egg into the stock. Repeat with the remaining eggs-you can easily poach 2 or 3 eggs at a time, spacing them apart in the pot. Poach the eggs for roughly 2 minutes, or until the whites are just cooked but the yolks are still soft. With a slotted spoon, transfer the eggs to a plate and dab the bottom of the eggs with paper towels to blot dry. Pour the poaching liquid into the onion soup. Bring to a boil.
• To serve, preheat the broiler to high. Portion the soup into 6 ovenproof soup bowls or crocks. Place a crouton on top of each, then carefully set a poached egg on top. Sprinkle liberally with the Gruyère and place under the broiler until melted and browned, 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the parsley and a few twists of black pepper. Serve immediately.
• Duck Fat
• I always keep a container of duck fat in my freezer and trust me, once you've tried pure rendered duck fat in your cooking you'll quickly make it a permanent staple in your kitchen. In fact, I gave a tub of it to one of my buddies for his birthday and he told me it was the best present he ever got! It's the gift that keeps on giving. Duck fat adds a layer of depth and richness to any recipe. Sub half of the butter in your favorite piecrust recipe with duck fat for added richness; fry potatoes, eggs, or even chicken in it. Duck fat truly elevates any dish and is especially terrific in this onion soup. It is available in gourmet markets and all over the Internet.

GARLIC SOUP WITH POACHED EGGS

Steps:

• Cook garlic in oil in a deep 10-inch heavy skillet over low heat, stirring occasionally, until tender and pale golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer garlic to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Add bread slices to skillet and cook over moderate heat, turning once, until browned, about 4 minutes. Divide toasts among 4 large soup bowls.
• Add stock, red pepper flakes, and garlic to skillet and bring to a simmer.
• Break 1 egg into a cup and slide egg into simmering stock. Repeat with remaining eggs. Poach eggs at a bare simmer until whites are firm but yolks are still runny, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Transfer eggs with slotted spoon to toasts and season with salt. Ladle soup into bowls and top with cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

FIVE-ONION SOUP WITH SCALLION AND GRUYERE CROUTONS

Steps:

• In a large stockpot, saute the five onions, garlic, and a heavy pinch of salt in 2 tbsp oil until the onions are carmelized. Deglaze with the wine. Add thyme and stock to the pot. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer for about an hour. Adjust seasoning as needed, and remove the thyme stems.
• Shortly before the soup is finished, preheat the broiler. Mix a generous amount of the scallion greens with the cheese. Coat the bread coins with the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil, and place on the broiler pan. Top each coin with some of the cheese mixture. Bake in the middle of the broiler for about 3 minutes to melt the cheese, then move them closer to the broiler element to get the cheese brown and bubbly.
• Ladle the soup into a bowl, and top with several Gruyere croutons. Allow them to rest a bit, to soak up some of the soup, before eating.

BAKED FRENCH ONION SOUP WITH GRUYèRE PASTRY

Steps:

• Heat the butter and oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan. When the butter has melted, stir in the onions, cover, and cook slowly until translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add the salt, garlic and sugar, letting the onions catch on the bottom of the pan, stirring frequently until they are golden in colour. Sprinkle the flour and cook slowly, stirring, for another 3 to 4 minutes.
• Remove from heat, allow to cool a moment, then whisk in 1 pint of the beef stock, the thyme and the bay leaf.
• When well blended, bring to the simmer, adding the rest of the stock, Cognac, Madeira and white wine and simmer very slowly for 1/2 an hour, adding a little water if the liquid reduces too much. Check for seasoning.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F Roll out the puff pastry and sprinkle with half the Gruyere cheese, fold into 3 and roll out again until it is half cm thick, then cut out 4-6 lids.
• Divide the soup among 4-6 ovenproof soup bowls. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of soup and cover with the pastry lids with a little egg wash seal and bake the soup in the oven for 15 minutes or until the cheesy puff pastry is golden in colour and well risen.
• Serve immediately by breaking through the pastry which then doubles up as your crouton.

PROVENçAL GARLIC SOUP WITH POACHED EGG

Steps:

• Peel and slice or roughly chop the garlic cloves. Warm the oil in a heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and sage and let them sizzle a bit without browning, about 2 minutes. Season with about a teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of pepper.
• Add 6 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat, then lower to a brisk simmer. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Taste for seasoning and adjust.
• Ladle about an inch of soup into a skillet. Over medium heat, bring to a brisk simmer and, for each serving, poach an egg for about 3 minutes.
• For each serving, place a slice of toast in a soup bowl. With a slotted spoon lift a poached egg onto each piece. Ladle the soup over it. Sprinkle with a little parsley, scallion, or chive.