Subj : Fast No Fuzz French Onion Soup (Was: Chicken jerky)
To   : Dave Drum
From : Bj”rn Felten
Date : Fri Jul 22 2022 15:06:08

 DD> A third "jerk" .....

   You skipped the second definition of jerk, the noun? :-)

   Anyhow, a couple of days ago I saw on YouTube someone claiming to make French Onion Soup. It was anything but. With chicken, potatoes, carrots and some more, and cooking it for more than a total of 30 minutes.

   What's specific for the world renowned French Cuisine is that it's fast, it's with very few ingredients except for the "protagonists" that are supposed to give all the flavour. And most importantly, they never overcook their dishes, and certainly not as dramatically as they do in e.g. Germany (this was from a German YouTuber), England, Italy and above all the USA.

   As for adding spices early in the heating process, the French never do that. They call it Cooking for the Cook. Meaning that the entire kitchen smells heavenly during cooking. That's all the aromatics that are supposed to give the dish it's flavour going up in thin air. Unless you and your guests are eating in the kitchen immediately, those aromatics are lost.

   Before you add any spices to your dish while it's cooking along, first taste them with your nose pinched. That'll give you an idea about what flavour they may add to the dish.

   Salt, sugar, acid, certain peppers, dry herbs and a few other exceptions will be OK, but, in particular fresh herbs should *never* even be heated above room temperature. Always serve them from a bowl on the table along with any other condiments that may suffer from heat. Just remember to give your dinner guests Free Choice, do not even try the lowest common denominator as you think you know it. That includes salt and pepper...

   And finally to the recipe:

   Here's how I make French Onion Soup as I was taught when working as an apprentice at a French restaurant many decades ago (they didn't have a microwave then, that's my modernisation). One serving.

   1. Cover a slice of white bread with cheese and run in in the micro for 45-60 seconds (depending on power). Leave it in the micro for now.

   2. Bring 5 dl water to a boil, dissolve one Knorr Chicken Flavour Bouillon Cube, add two halved, thinly sliced onions and let it all simmer for 3-10 minutes depending on how much onion taste you want.

   3. Put the bread, by now slightly cooled, on a big soup plate and pour the hot soup over it. Must be served immediately, smoking hot.

Done, in less than ten minutes...


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