know your onion

Back when I was setting up my first apartment many years ago, my mother gave me her French onion soup bowls.  Earth brown ceramic with handles and covers, I'd always admired them whenever I saw them which was usually when I helped mom empty the kitchen cupboards for spring cleaning.   And as much as I loved them and as much as I love French onion soup, they didn't get much more use in my house (although they did find new life holding baked dips for cozy winter board game evenings). 

Making a French onion soup requires a certain level of commitment; not because there are any particularly complex techniques or ingredients involved but if you plan to reduce an overflowing pot of raw onions to golden caramelized deliciousness, you'd better clear your schedule for a bit.  There's no rushing it but it's worth the wait.

Monday came like a bonus holiday tacked on the end of the Christmas vacation, all the decorations had been put away, all the visits paid, many of the shops were closed and most of the city was wandering around in an end-of-vacation haze.   So what better time to lock myself away in the kitchen for an hour or two working away on a fragrant pot of soup?

White pepper, thyme and bay leaves - a savoury winter combo.

I was eager to try this recipe from I found recently from The Hot Knives Vegetarian Cookbook: Salad Daze  (how have I had an iPhone for 8 months and only just downloaded the Epicurious app?!).   Traditional French onion soups rely very heavily on hearty beef broth which means my vegetarian friends have previously been out of luck.   This recipe replaces the beef stock with a combination of veg stock and beer.

I cannot lie, the dog kind of sold me on it.

They recommended using Chimay Blue from Belgium. Coincidentally Jennifer had brought back a few bottles from Halifax for her gentleman friend.  While she gallantly offered to sacrifice a bottle in the name of culinary experimentation, I opted for a porter from local brewery Picaroons.  I have to say as a substitute for beef broth it actually worked really well and topped with crusty sour bread, gooey Gruyere and sprigs of fresh thyme it was a perfect winter supper to cap off the holidays.