The first of my Great List posts is here!
I decided to change which cookbook I’m cooking my way through. Instead of deep south I’m opting for a delicious French cookbook from Williams Sonoma.
The book belongs to my friend Renee, who is letting my borrow the book and cooking through it with me, so she will show up in these cooking adventures quite a bit. We started off with French Onion Soup and a delicious Cherry Clafoutis.
The last time I had french onion soup that I really liked was when I was 14 and my parents and I went to this tiny little restaurant at Versailles in France. Nothing I’ve tried in the States quite compares. I’m also rather wary of onions in general. Not that I dislike them, but if I have an option I’d rather eat raw garlic.
Anywho…this was possibly the best french onion soup. It was buttery, kind of sweet and silky. It amazing what you can do to veggies when you just let them cook for hours. The French have that technique mastered.
The gist of the recipe is this:
1. chop up an incredible amount of onions
2. add in bay leaves, other yummy spices and a good wine (we used a Willamette Valley local Chardonnay by Anam Cara)
3. simmer on the stove forever
4. top with toasted french bread and slices of cheese and eat, slurp and bathe in the deliciousness.
While the soup was simmering, we also made a Cherry Clafoutis, which is basically a cherry cake, pastry thing. We used fresh cherries, and made a quick and easy batter to cover them. It was a perfect dessert and I ate the rest for breakfast the next morning.
It was the perfect start to cooking through a cookbook. And who better to cook with than the French? Right Julia Child??
Recipe Count: 2/42
Lovely in the Everyday 