French Onion Soup a la Maison Emil

In my previous post I mentioned about the importance of a good stock that can be used as base for many dishes, such as the French onion soup.

French Onion Soup a la Maison Emil

The "marmite" or "bouillon pot au feu" method i.e. broth simmered over low fire overnight or for more than 20 hours yields a delicious base. Parcels of good veal meat, bones and feet, then of vegetables (leeks, carrots, turnips, shallots) and grilled onion were added in the pot, boiled and then roasted in the oven overnight.

Marmite (or pot au feu bouillon) 

A "pot au feu" stock does not only cost a lot but takes time and requires storage space, so I doubt that many professional kitchens in Paris can afford this investment of time, space and money, perhaps except for the Michelin starred restaurants.

In a home kitchen, I am all in favour of the value-for-money ratio, and the efficient use of time to produce a healthy and yet a tasty meal. So Maison Emil's version of French onion soup requires less time, probably costs less to make, but tastes good.

Chicken stock (unsalted) - the evening before - Day 0
1,5 kg hen - empty and clean inside
1 onion - chopped in big cubes
1 carrot - chopped in big cubes
1 turnip - chopped in big cubes
1 bouquet garni (BG) (thym, bay leaf, parsley stem wrapped in a leek and tied with a string)
1 big oven proof pot with lid - covered with cold water

Method: Add everything in the pot, cover with cold water (has to cover the hen completely), bring to a boil, discard impurities, add BG and simmer for 30 min while you turn on the oven 100C degrees. Put the pot with the lid on and place in the oven and roast overnight. You can let the stock stay in the oven until you need it the next day. Bring to a boil when you take out of the oven

Soup - Day 1 
2 big yellow onions - sliced
2 big sweet or white onion - sliced
25 g butter - melted
1 tablespoon flour
1,5L stock
Baguette - 10 slices approx 1,5 cm thick
Grated gruyere cheese - smelly but nice taste
Salt and pepper

1 hour before serving
Melt (but do not brown) the butter over medium heat, add the onion and sweat (turn the heat down if the onion starts to burn) sweat until soft and tender (10 min), increase the heat a bit to caramelise the onion (approx. 10min).
Add the flour and mix well to incorporate with the onion.
Add 1,5L chicken stock, stir well to dissolve the flour to avoid lumps, bring to a boil, skim, reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 min. Season with salt. Let it simmer slowly before serving.

15-10 min before serving
Put the oven on grill at 225 C degrees.
Cut the baguette in 1,5 cm thick slices, place them on a tray and grill them in the oven for 2 minutes or until golden. Turn and grill the other side for 2 min or until brown. Pay attention as oven performance may vary. You grill the baguette so it won't get soggy when added in the soup. Keep the heat on as you will need the oven for baking the soup again.

5 minutes before serving
Bring the soup to a boil, add the hot soup in a serving bowl that is oven proof, season with pepper, stir, place the baguette slices and top with gruyere cheese. Bake until the cheese has melted and turned golden brown.
Remark: I like garlic bread, but do not add garlic on the baguette because when baked at high heat, the garlic will burn or taste bitter, but it's you choice.

 

Bon appétit,

Maison Emil Paris