French Onion Soup and Souffles
I had a medium great night in the kitchen. Maybe I drove around too much all day and was frazzled. Maybe I compromised and bought mediocre ingredients. Maybe I rushed myself to make a 7:30 food deadline. Maybe making three involved dishes on one weeknight is a bad idea. Who knows. In any case, here goes. The photos will be fun for comparison when I get it right.
My first attempt at French onion soup was meh. Not bad, and definitely a nice hearty meal. However, next time I'm going to spring for the expensive Gruyere. The cheap stuff (even if it says imported) gets rubbery while it's sitting in the hot soup! I was stupified. I'd also make my own stock or at least get frozen stock from a small gourmet market next time. It's not worth going through all the trouble just to use Swanson's (hanging head in shame). I'd also use less cheese and more onions next time.
Mark Bittman finally let me down with his chocolate souffles. They just weren't very chocolatey! Look at the color: pale brown instead of deep dark brown. I'm sticking to Hubert Keller's Grand Marnier souffles in the future. They sure did rise a lot, though. Hey, can someone tell me why my souffles always rise in an uneven dome shape, when many restaurant souffles rise in a sharp-edged cylindrical shape?
My first attempt at French onion soup was meh. Not bad, and definitely a nice hearty meal. However, next time I'm going to spring for the expensive Gruyere. The cheap stuff (even if it says imported) gets rubbery while it's sitting in the hot soup! I was stupified. I'd also make my own stock or at least get frozen stock from a small gourmet market next time. It's not worth going through all the trouble just to use Swanson's (hanging head in shame). I'd also use less cheese and more onions next time.Mark Bittman finally let me down with his chocolate souffles. They just weren't very chocolatey! Look at the color: pale brown instead of deep dark brown. I'm sticking to Hubert Keller's Grand Marnier souffles in the future. They sure did rise a lot, though. Hey, can someone tell me why my souffles always rise in an uneven dome shape, when many restaurant souffles rise in a sharp-edged cylindrical shape?
posted by Pei at
8:27 AM
4 Comments:
Mmm, I liked the french onion soup quite a bit. The soaked bread and onions were really yummy. The cheese wasn't that rubbery. I think you were affected by someone screaming: "The cheese is getting hard!" - T.
By
Anonymous, At
10/06/2006 11:53:00 AM
Thanks! I'm a sucker for French onion soup so of course I ate it all, but there's always room for improvement. Mmmmm...improooovement.
By
Pei, At
10/06/2006 12:59:00 PM
Maybe it's the collar? I see you used tin foil, but I think restaurants use something sturdier. (Hi - found your blog through Chowhound.)
By
CM, At
10/06/2006 04:33:00 PM
Don't hang your head in shame - I've made finger lickin' good collards with store stock. No one was the wiser. I'm sure homemade is better, but I doubt most people are sophisticated enough to tell the difference.
By
Claire, At
10/07/2006 08:49:00 AM
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