A Taste of France

A few weeks ago, Boston.com ran a mini-article featuring local restaurants' picks for holiday fare. I copied down a few recipes to try later, one of which was the French Onion Soup courtesy of Petit Robert Bistro. Petit Robert has locations in Fenway and the South End -- I've been to each once and had the French Onion Soup at the Fenway location. They recently opened up another location right here in Needham and it's on my list of places to check out -- it will be interesting to see how it compares to the city locations.

French Onion Soup is one of my all-time faves (the crusty cheese is the best part!). I've tried making it in the past, but it has always turned out rather thin and lacking in flavor. Other recipes called for red wine, but this one specified white wine. While I'm not sure if that was the main differentiating factor, this recipe produced a soup that had sweetness and depth to it -- good job Petit Robert!

French Onion Soup (modified from Boston.com)

• 5 peeled Spanish onions, sliced into halves first and then into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• Olive oil
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• Salt & pepper
• 1 c. white wine (I used Chardonnay)
• 1 quart beef stock
• Swiss Cheese slices
• Toasted baguette slices

Cook the sliced onions slowly with the olive oil, over low heat until they have rendered all water and are brown and thick (about 1 - 1.5 hrs); spread the flour over the onions and mix well to avoid lumps, cook 1-2 mins; add the wine and bring to a boil; add beef stock, bring to a boil and add salt and pepper to taste. Boil 3-4 minutes. Fill the onion soup bowls, put a slice of baguette top and top with 1-2 slices of Swiss per bowl. Broil in the oven for 3-4 mins until cheese is golden and bubbly. Serves 4. As you can see from the picture, I was too eager to eat the gooey cheese and only remembered to take a photo midway through the meal. I enjoyed mine with the leftover wine and a green salad. Delicious!