Soup 1

Inspired by lunch at the Griffin Inn and the onset of Autumn, the time seems right for soup. For tonight, as a starting point, we thought we'd revisit the French classic soup a'l'oignon. There are possibly as many recipes for this soup as there are onions in France, but we used one of several from the brilliant soup book, A celebration of soup by Lindsey Bareham. This is a pretty definitive book to turn to when you want a soup recipe. There have been others since but to me, this is the best soup book you can buy.

1 tbsp olive oil
40g butter
700g onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp salt
pepper
pinch of sugar
40g flour
150ml white wine
2l stock
3 tbsp brandy
slices of toasted bread
100-200g cheese (e.g. Gruyere, Emmental or Parmesan)

Heat oil and butter in a heavy pan with a lid. Add onions and cook very gently for 15-20 minutes. Remove lid, add salt and sugar and cook for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the onions a deep golden caramelised colour but not burnt. Stir in the flour and cook for a few minutes before adding the white wine and stirring through. Add the stock and bring back to the boil before simmering for a further 30 to 45 minutes. When ready, place the slices of toast in the bottom of soup bowls and top with the cheese. Add the brandy to the soup and serve over the toast slice in the soup bowls.

A recipe for onion soup from 1802 is relatively terse in its instruction as recipes of this period tend to be, unlike the title of the book; The art of cookery made easy comprising, ample directions for preparing every article requisite for furnishing the tahles of nobleman, gentleman and tradesman (second edition) by John Mollard:

Onion Soup.
TAKE eight middling-sized peeled onions, cut them into very thin slices, pass them with a quarter of a pound of fresh butter and flour till tender; then add three quarts of veal stock; make it boil twenty minutes; skim it, season it with salt, and add a leason; mix it well with a whisk, make it simmer, and serve it up.