The Primordial French Onion Soup Mix

OK, so french onion soup is one of those things you either love or you hate .... I love it ... my mother hates it ... everyone else I know loves its

Looking at various recipes they all say "this is the TRADITIONAL FRENCH ONION SOUP recipe" enjoyed by the French peasant folk when Napoleon was still on the boob ... but somehow they are all different ... so I threw tradition out the window and went for taste ...

A good place to start:

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/1144/french+onion+soup

A better way to finish:

1) If your like me, you love garlic ... and even if your not, you still love garlic ... for every litre of liquid I like to add 3-4 cloves of crushed garlic ... throw these in about 3-5 minutes before adding the brown sugar used to caramelize the onions

2) Caramelizing onions takes a LONG time ... if they aren't caramelized after 45-50 minutes ... keep cooking the bastards .. it makes the world of difference

3) Cheap beef stock is nasty business ... both the powdered and the liquid form ... buy good stock from a delicatessen or your butcher if they have it ... personally I like veal stock ... sometimes called veal glace. Its frozen and you usually add 1 litre of water for 500ml of glace, but ask the guy at the counter for ratio's

4) Simmer the soup for 45 minutes, 15-20 minutes is not long enough.

5) Booze and Vinegar. I like to add 30-60ml per litre of liquid of a good balsamic vinegar and 50-100ml per litre of liquid of port about 15-20 minutes into the final boiling stage.

6) Add 30 ml of port to each bowl ... right before serving

7) Add an egg yolk to each bowl and stir super immediately in a very vigorous manner ... right before serving


Results: I love it more ... my mother still hates it ... everyone else I know loves it more