How NOT to make French Onion Soup

[learnteach]

Plan to make soup to impress and ex-girlfriend. Remember the way you like it, with chunks of oniony goodness. Recall the way she hates the texture of onion.

Make a pretty good batch the simple way--saute minced garlic and chopped onions in a pot until lightly carmelized, add beefstock (or water and a bullion cube or two), boil down a while. Oops! Oniony goodness. Strain out the onions, run them through the robot cuilinaire, add back in, boil a while. Serve with bread and cheese melted into the top. Good, but not perfect.

So...wash pot. Butter in pot, melted. Add minced garlic. Mince onions using robot culinaire, eyes tearing completely, throw in pot. The white mush you have will not carmelize, and the steam is almost a chemical weapon. It's not carmelizing. Aieee!

Heat up the big cast iron skillet, add butter. Forget that it hasn't been cleaned since last used. When hot, dump the onion mash in. Stir, wander off to check the computer. Come back. Center is burnt black, outside is still white mash. Stir, give up, give another 3 minutes in the hot pan, throw back in the pot, add water and beef stock, add the leftovers from yesterday, let simmer.

I'll find out how it is in an hour or so at lunch.

******

Thanksgiving was nice, and a good counterpoint to the writing blues and blahs. Shows me that I have a negative memory attitude. Burnt my thumb getting the turkey on, eh, oops!

*****
Caught the SF Symphony last night, thanks to EvilVicountess and Gearbootboy. Woo! Citizen Cake and the symphony--lovely time, need to go down and cook with them (they live in Monterey, with him having jaunts to the worldwide Turlock. That's his life, ask him.) Dinner was lovely, dessert fabulous. The symphony was precise and baroque and enunciated, but I miss the thud and blunder that you can get with a full on Messiah. Sing along at Stanford on the 16th; a good time will be had by me.

Off to write some more. Hope all is well!

Comments

[kawgirl.livejournal.com]

Riding motorcycles is less complicatd. :)

[kawgirl.livejournal.com]

complicated even. Less, that is. (:

[patsmor.livejournal.com]

Have you considered making the soup and then blenderizing her portion, so that it will caramelize and then you can get rid of the texture?

No Blender!

[learnteach.livejournal.com]

Yes, but 1. I don't have a blender and B. That's not the goal and iii. I'm sure more time on the stove at the right tempurature will do it for me.

Next question: Difference between yellow, white, cipolini, spring onions?