in honor of the great julia child, i felt inspired to make one of the most delicious soups around, french onion.
it truly is one of those soups that i could sit and eat forever. the deep, rich broth and the sweetness of the onions creates one mouthful of joy after another.
paired with the infamous Daiya mozzarella style (doctored up, of course!) and day old baguette makes for the perfect chilly autumn dinner, or side dish, or appetizer or breakfast!
i added finely chopped cremini to help enhance the earthy, "meaty" broth
french onion and mushroom soup
serves approximately 6
3 large yellow onions – thinly sliced
1 large package cremini mushrooms – finely chopped
1 tbsp garlic – minced
1 cup dark beer
1-2 tbsp flour
4 cups water
½ cup dry sherry
1 tsp thyme (in an herb bag)
1 bay leaf
olive oil
2 tbsp silk creamer
2 tbsp veg bouillon (better than bouillon brand)
1 tsp kitchen bouquet (thickener/darkener)
1 baguette
2 cups daiya mozzarella style
4 tbsp earth balance
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp onion powder
salt and pepper
in a large pot, cook onions, mushrooms, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, ¼ tsp salt, 1 tbsp earth balance and 1 tsp olive oil uncovered, stirring frequently, until onions are very soft and deep golden brown, and mushrooms are browned.
add flour and beer. cook for 1 minute creating a thick sauce.
stir in dry sherry and cook, stirring, 2 minutes.
in a separate pot, make your veg broth with the water and bouillon. cook for 1 minute and then add broth to onion/mushroom mixture and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 30-40 minutes. add the kitchen bouquet to reach the deep color needed.
while soup simmers preheat oven to 350°F.
in another small pot combine Daiya with the garlic powder, pinch of salt and onion powder. then add the silk over a low to medium heat, creating a wet cheese mixture. remove and set aside.
put sliced bread in 1 layer on a large baking sheet and toast, turning over once, until lightly browned. remove from oven once browned.
turn heat to 450 degrees.
discard bay leaves and thyme from soup and add soup to bowls. add 1 piece of browned baguette and top each off with ¼ cup of Daiya and spice mixture.
cook until “cheese” is melted, then brush a little earth balance on the top of each and continue to cook until “cheese” begins to brown.
remove and serve right away with a deep red wine.
enjoy!
I all the time used to read piece of writing in news papers but now as
I am a user of internet therefore from now
I am using net for posts, thanks to web.
Posted by: Jennifer | October 12, 2012 at 03:51 PM