French Onion Soup

My husband loves French Onion Soup. Any time he orders soup from a restaurant there's a 95% chance it's going to be French Onion. I came across this recipe while perusing Annie's Eats and had to make it for him. I followed the recipe she has posted, except where I note.

I served it with salad and the extra baguettes. It makes about 4 servings. Enjoy!

Ingredients
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 large red onions, thinly sliced
Pinch of sugar
2 leeks, including tender green portions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
¾ cup low-sodium beef broth
¼ cup dry red wine
2 sprigs fresh parsley
1 sprig fresh thyme (I used dried thyme)
1 bay leaf (I omitted...I just do not like bay leaf)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Baguette slices, ¾-inch thick
Sliced Gruyere cheese

Directions
Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add in the sliced red onions, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions have wilted. Mix in the sugar and leeks and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are completely caramelized and dark in color (about 15 more minutes). Add the garlic to the pot and sauté just until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the chicken and beef broths and red wine, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the parsley, thyme and bay leaf. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer about 30 minutes. Discard the herbs and season with salt and pepper to taste. Preheat the broiler with an oven rack in the upper-middle position. Portion the soup into oven-safe bowls or crocks placed on a baking sheet. Top each serving with two baguette slices, and layer with thin slices of Gruyere cheese. Place under the broiler until the cheese is browned and bubbly, 2-5 minutes.

Southwest Corn Chowder

With the cooler temperatures and rainy weather we've been treating ourselves to lots of comfort food. I had some fresh Jersey corn in my freezer that I wanted to use before it was destroyed by frost bite. Velvety and warm corn chowder was just the thing to make. I don't particularly care about the calories from using heavy cream but if you do you could easily substitute half and half or light cream instead. Serve this with some crusty bread and you have a warming and satisfying meal.


Ingredients
5 ears of corn, kernels cut off
1 1/2 cup of heavy cream
32 oz of chicken or vegetable broth
1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 tbsp flour
2 tsp of chili powder
2 tsp of paprika
1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper

Directions

In a large stock pot, add oil and onions stirring to coat. Cook over medium heat until onions begin to carmelize. Add garlic and continue cooking until pale golden brown, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle flour over onions and garlic and stir to coat. Add chicken broth and bring to a vigorous boil. Continue to boil for 10 minutes. Add the heavy cream and continue to boil for an additional 10 minutes, be sure to stir to prevent the cream from burning or boiling over. Add the corn and red peppers, simmer for 5 minutes or until corn is tender. Add paprika and chili powder, salt and pepper to tasty. Serve hot. You can garnish with cheddar cheese and/or scallions.

Creamy Onion Soup

This is my version of the Walkabout Soup from Outback Steakhouse.

Ingredients

2 large sweet onions, sliced thin
1 yellow onion, sliced thin
42 oz beef broth
3/4 cup hot water
4 tspb cornstarch
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt
pepper

Directions

In a large pot, bring beef broth to a boil. Add onions to broth and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Mix cornstarch with hot water until completely dissolved. Add cornstarch mixture to beef broth, stir until thoroughly incorporated. Simmer for 2-3 minutes or until soup thickens slightly. Turn heat to low and add heavy cream and stir to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper.

I served this with a simple steak and toasted pumpernickel bread just like they do at Outback.

Potato With Green Apples and Brie Soup

Ingredients

1 cup chopped yellow onion
1/4 cup sliced leeks (whites only)
4 large Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled and quartered, plus 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced thinly, for garnish
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups fat-free evaporated milk
6 small potatoes, peeled and sliced
4 ounces brie cheese, cut into small cubes

Directions

Spray a soup pot with cooking spray. Add the onion, leeks and quartered apples. Saute over medium heat until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the chicken broth, bay leaf, salt and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Turn off heat and set the mixture aside.

While the broth mixture is cooking, combine the evaporated milk and potatoes in a separate saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir frequently. Pour the potato mixture into the soup pot. Stir to mix evenly.

In a blender or food processor, puree the soup in batches until smooth, adding the pieces of brie cheese while pureeing. Return the pureed batch to the soup pot and heat until warmed through. Ladle into individual bowls and garnish with thin slices of apple. Serve immediately.

Creamy Gouda and Mushroom Soup

This soup is fantastic! I was drooling as soon as I came across the recipe on Mary Ellen’s Cooking Creation Blog. It’s definitely a meal by itself and a whole pot (which probably will give you 6 large servings) only cost me $17 for all of the ingredients. And now that the weather is getting colder this is the perfect thing to warm you from the inside out.

Ingredients

• 1/4 lb. bacon, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 lb. mushrooms (your choice)
• a few sprigs of fresh thyme or a good pinch of dried
• 1/4 cup dry sherry or white wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 3-4 cups yukon gold potatoes, cubed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1.5 cups light cream
• 2 oz. smoked gouda, shredded

Directions

• In a stockpot or dutch oven, cook the bacon until it has rendered its fat. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• In the bacon fat, cook the diced onion over low heat for about 2 minutes before adding the mushrooms. Add a little salt and pepper and continue cooking over low or medium-low heat until the mushrooms have released their moisture, about 10-15 minutes.
• Increase the heat and add the sherry or wine. Cook until almost all of the alcohol has cooked off.
• Add the potatoes and the garlic, stirring to combine. Add the bay leaf and broth. Bring to a light boil and simmer until potatoes are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Remove the bay leaf. Put as much or as little of the mixture as you want into a food processor and pulse it. This isn’t necessary but it creates both texture and thickness to the soup.
• Return the pureed soup to the dutch oven. Add the light cream and gouda. Simmer until the soup has heated through and the cheese has melted.
• Garnish bowls with diced bacons and more cheese, if desired.