At Odds with the Master: I have always been a great fan of Jacques Pepin, his recipes, his personality and professionalism, all remarkable. The incident that really cemented my...

Quixdraw Loc: x

I have always been a great fan of Jacques Pepin, his recipes, his personality and professionalism, all remarkable. The incident that really cemented my fondness for him was on a TV cooking show. He was cooking and talking through steps of the recipe, accompanied by some sort of wiseguy with a microphone. Don't hold me to the measure, but the conversation went something like this.
Pepin pours salt into the palm of his hand "...add half a teaspoon of salt..."
Guy with the mike "...half a teaspoon, how can you know?"
Pepin smiles that little smile, pulls a measuring spoon out of a drawer, pours salt into his palm and into the spoon, voila, half a teaspoon of salt.

French Onion Soup Gratine - a favorite, but of course, I can't leave anything alone, so this recipe is completely different than his, or for that matter any other I have seen. This is not fast food process, it was running parallel with the Tomato sauce and took about the same time.

First of all, I prefer a beef base to chicken broth, and like a little meat in the soup. When we have a cut of beef too large for two, I will cut it crosswise into meat sticks, roughly half an inch wide, length and thickness of the cut of meat. These are easy to defrost and can be cut quickly into dice. Brown the meat, 4 ounces or so, thoroughly, deglaze with a bit of red wine. Add a couple of TBS of butter and two sliced medium onions and a couple of cloves of chopped garlic. When the onions just begin to brown, add 3 cups of water with a Knorrs Homestyle beef broth dissolved. Add salt, fresh ground black pepper and a quarter tsp of crushed fennel seed. This simmers at some length to concentrate, and so you can adjust Salt, Garlic, and even the fennel - go slow with the last, you might also want a tiny dash of Cayenne. You may need to add a bit more water or red wine along the way. The bread - quick tip, cut the baguette on the diagonal and use your toaster to brown perfectly. Add a bit of B&B to the soup. Put in broiler safe serving dishes, top with bread, a thick slice of Swiss topped with grated cheese. I used parmesano reggiano in this case. Put in the oven / broiler till the cheese is nicely melted. My dishes are not broiler safe, so I went at 400°. Serve with an extra slice of toasted baguette on the side, and a small salad if you like. A different Onion Soup!

UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

Looks great, QD. We will try it.

Quixdraw Loc: x

UTMike wrote:

Looks great, QD. We will try it.

Thanks! Let me know if it takes too long for your lifestyle, there is a cheat version as well that isn't quite as good. Close, but a lot quicker.

foodie65

Looks good QD.
I’ve never made onion soup but this looks like a good place to start.
Adding it to my fall soup list.

joecichjr Loc: Chicago S. Suburbs, Illinois, USA

quixdraw wrote:

I have always been a great fan of Jacques Pepin, his recipes, his personality and professionalism, all remarkable. The incident that really cemented my fondness for him was on a TV cooking show. He was cooking and talking through steps of the recipe, accompanied by some sort of wiseguy with a microphone. Don't hold me to the measure, but the conversation went something like this.
Pepin pours salt into the palm of his hand "...add half a teaspoon of salt..."
Guy with the mike "...half a teaspoon, how can you know?"
Pepin smiles that little smile, pulls a measuring spoon out of a drawer, pours salt into his palm and into the spoon, voila, half a teaspoon of salt.

French Onion Soup Gratine - a favorite, but of course, I can't leave anything alone, so this recipe is completely different than his, or for that matter any other I have seen. This is not fast food process, it was running parallel with the Tomato sauce and took about the same time.

First of all, I prefer a beef base to chicken broth, and like a little meat in the soup. When we have a cut of beef too large for two, I will cut it crosswise into meat sticks, roughly half an inch wide, length and thickness of the cut of meat. These are easy to defrost and can be cut quickly into dice. Brown the meat, 4 ounces or so, thoroughly, deglaze with a bit of red wine. Add a couple of TBS of butter and two sliced medium onions and a couple of cloves of chopped garlic. When the onions just begin to brown, add 3 cups of water with a Knorrs Homestyle beef broth dissolved. Add salt, fresh ground black pepper and a quarter tsp of crushed fennel seed. This simmers at some length to concentrate, and so you can adjust Salt, Garlic, and even the fennel - go slow with the last, you might also want a tiny dash of Cayenne. You may need to add a bit more water or red wine along the way. The bread - quick tip, cut the baguette on the diagonal and use your toaster to brown perfectly. Add a bit of B&B to the soup. Put in broiler safe serving dishes, top with bread, a thick slice of Swiss topped with grated cheese. I used parmesano reggiano in this case. Put in the oven / broiler till the cheese is nicely melted. My dishes are not broiler safe, so I went at 400°. Serve with an extra slice of toasted baguette on the side, and a small salad if you like. A different Onion Soup!

I have always been a great fan of Jacques Pepin, h... (show quote)

Looks amazing 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Quixdraw Loc: x

foodie65 wrote:

Looks good QD.
I’ve never made onion soup but this looks like a good place to start.
Adding it to my fall soup list.

Thanks! Once you have made any of the versions yourself, it doesn't taste as good out except at good restaurants!

Quixdraw Loc: x

joecichjr wrote:

Looks amazing 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Thanks very much!

nimbushopper Loc: Tampa, FL

Looks real good!

Quixdraw Loc: x

nimbushopper wrote:

Looks real good!

Thanks! It was tasty, and for once I made just enough instead of too much!

JustJill Loc: Iowa

quixdraw wrote:

I have always been a great fan of Jacques Pepin, his recipes, his personality and professionalism, all remarkable. The incident that really cemented my fondness for him was on a TV cooking show. He was cooking and talking through steps of the recipe, accompanied by some sort of wiseguy with a microphone. Don't hold me to the measure, but the conversation went something like this.
Pepin pours salt into the palm of his hand "...add half a teaspoon of salt..."
Guy with the mike "...half a teaspoon, how can you know?"
Pepin smiles that little smile, pulls a measuring spoon out of a drawer, pours salt into his palm and into the spoon, voila, half a teaspoon of salt.

French Onion Soup Gratine - a favorite, but of course, I can't leave anything alone, so this recipe is completely different than his, or for that matter any other I have seen. This is not fast food process, it was running parallel with the Tomato sauce and took about the same time.

First of all, I prefer a beef base to chicken broth, and like a little meat in the soup. When we have a cut of beef too large for two, I will cut it crosswise into meat sticks, roughly half an inch wide, length and thickness of the cut of meat. These are easy to defrost and can be cut quickly into dice. Brown the meat, 4 ounces or so, thoroughly, deglaze with a bit of red wine. Add a couple of TBS of butter and two sliced medium onions and a couple of cloves of chopped garlic. When the onions just begin to brown, add 3 cups of water with a Knorrs Homestyle beef broth dissolved. Add salt, fresh ground black pepper and a quarter tsp of crushed fennel seed. This simmers at some length to concentrate, and so you can adjust Salt, Garlic, and even the fennel - go slow with the last, you might also want a tiny dash of Cayenne. You may need to add a bit more water or red wine along the way. The bread - quick tip, cut the baguette on the diagonal and use your toaster to brown perfectly. Add a bit of B&B to the soup. Put in broiler safe serving dishes, top with bread, a thick slice of Swiss topped with grated cheese. I used parmesano reggiano in this case. Put in the oven / broiler till the cheese is nicely melted. My dishes are not broiler safe, so I went at 400°. Serve with an extra slice of toasted baguette on the side, and a small salad if you like. A different Onion Soup!

I have always been a great fan of Jacques Pepin, h... (show quote)

That looks very good! I do not measure everything either.

Quixdraw Loc: x

JustJill wrote:

That looks very good! I do not measure everything either.

Thanks! A good recipe for a day without a lot planned, takes a while.

Paul B. Loc: North Carolina

👍

Quixdraw Loc: x

Paul B. wrote:

👍

Thanks!

Sylvias Loc: North Yorkshire England

Mouthwatering!

Quixdraw Loc: x

Sylvias wrote:

Mouthwatering!

Thank you, Sylvia! A nice light supper.