French Classics Made Easy (6 page)

1 tablespoon Cognac

½ pound Swiss-style cheese, such as Gruyère or Emmentaler, grated (about 2 cups)

1.
In a large saucepan or 5-quart Dutch oven, melt the butter. Add the onions and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until well browned. They will start to brown in 10 to 12 minutes. After another 20 to 25 minutes the onions should be dark brown, not black. Season with the salt and pepper.

2.
Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the flour. Brown lightly, stirring, about 3 minutes.

3.
Add the stock, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil, about 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes. Skim off any foam or butter that comes to the surface. (The recipe can be prepared ahead to this point. Let cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate. Bring to a simmer before proceeding.)

4.
Just before serving, add the Cognac. Pass the cheese separately.

IN ADDITION

With the addition of bread and cheese, this simple soup becomes French Onion Soup (
page 20
), perhaps the most famous of all French soups. Without them, it makes a nice, very light first course.

FRENCH ONION SOUP

[SOUPE À L’OIGNONGRATINÉE]

Listed on American menus as French Onion Soup and on French menus often simply as a
gratinée,
this delicious soup is served in restaurants throughout the world. Although there is no classic recipe for this classically French soup, most contain bread and Swiss-style cheese, making it virtually a meal in itself. For this reason I usually serve it for lunch or supper with a mixed green salad, and some fruit or pastry for dessert.

The bread should be stale or toasted so it will float and support the cheese on the surface of the soup, where it can easily be browned or gratinéed.

SERVES 6

Onion Soup (
page 19
), but increase the cheese to 1 pound

Slices of stale or toasted French bread (see Note), cut ½ inch thick

1.
Preheat the broiler.

2.
In a large saucepan, heat the soup to a simmer over medium heat.

3.
Place enough bread in each of 6 ovenproof bowls (that will hold at least 1½ cups) so the slices will cover the surface once the bowls are filled with the soup. Ladle the soup into the bowls.

4.
Sprinkle the soup with the cheese and place the bowls on a baking sheet. Place under the broiler until the cheese has browned, 5 to 7 minutes, and serve.

NOTE

The number of bread slices you need will depend on the diameter of your soup bowls and the diameter of the loaf of bread. The object is to cover the surface of the soup with the bread, which floats to support the cheese. One or two slices per person is usually adequate.

IN ADDITION

An especially appealing feature of this recipe is that the basic onion soup can be made well in advance, then reheated and placed under the broiler for a superb last-minute meal. Special onion soup bowls, which can withstand the high temperature of a broiler, are used in this preparation. If you don’t have onion soup bowls, use any ovenproof bowls with a 1½-cup capacity.

MEDITERRANEAN FISH SOUP

[SOUPE DE POISSON]

This soup, served with a green salad, rosé wine, and a fruit tart for dessert, makes a wonderful lunch or light supper. It is also the base for the American Bouillabaisse on
page 99
. Most traditional recipes for this soup call for fish fillets to be cooked as part of the soup base and discarded. With today’s fish prices, I find this wasteful and extravagant. In my
Soupe de Poisson,
I poach the diced fillets in the soup at the last minute and serve them with the soup. For an even heartier version I add scallops and/or shrimp, poaching them at the same time as the fish.

SERVES 6

5 pounds fish heads and bones (see Note)

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 onions, halved and sliced

2 leeks, washed and diced

½ fennel bulb, diced About

15 sprigs parsley

3 pounds tomatoes, diced, or

3 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes, drained

5 garlic cloves, smashed

1 bay leaf

¼ teaspoon fresh or dried thyme

¼ teaspoon fresh or dried savory

2 to 3 large pinches of saffron threads, to taste Zest of 1 orange

2 cups dry white wine

6 cups water

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 pound skinless fish fillets (see Note), diced

1.
In a large bowl or saucepan, soak the fish heads and bones in ice water for at least 20 minutes or until ready to use them.

2.
In a large stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, leeks, fennel, and parsley and sauté until the vegetables have softened without coloring, 4 to 5 minutes.

3.
Add the tomatoes, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, savory, saffron, and orange zest. Stir well with a wooden spoon.

4.
Drain the fish bones and heads and add them to the pot along with the wine and water. Season with the salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook gently for 30 minutes.

5.
Strain the soup through a sieve, pressing as much liquid from the solid ingredients as possible. Discard the solids. (The soup can be prepared ahead to this point. Let cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month. Bring the soup back to a simmer before proceeding.)

6.
Add the fish fillets and bring the soup back to a boil just before serving.

NOTE

This can be just about any fish you like. Just be sure that if you are using a strong-flavored fish, such as mackerel or bluefish, that it is very fresh.

SERVING SUGGESTION

Accompany the soup with toasted slices of French bread, Aioli (
page 332
), or grated Swiss-style cheese.

WATERCRESS SOUP

[POTAGE AU CRESSON]

This low-calorie variation of the classic watercress soup uses zucchini in place of potatoes. The small amount of cream used to lighten the color and flavor while enriching the soup can be omitted, reducing the calories even further. I rarely use the cream today, but encourage you to try it both ways.

I once made this soup for a well-known restaurant critic, who apologized for eating only half a serving, saying that it was a little too rich for someone on a diet. When I explained that the soup has only 70 calories per serving, I received a request for seconds.

This soup can be served hot or cold. If you are using a homemade chicken stock, the soup may jell when cold, making it too thick. If this happens, thin with water and adjust the seasoning. Try using yogurt instead of cream when serving the soup cold.

SERVES 6

1 tablespoon butter or olive oil

3 leeks (white part only; see Note), washed and diced

1½ pounds zucchini, peeled (see Note) and diced

4 cups chicken stock, homemade or canned (see chart,
page 305
)

1 bunch watercress, thick stems trimmed

¼ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

⅓ cup heavy cream

1.
In a 4-quart pot, heat the butter or oil over medium-low heat. Add the leeks and gently sauté until softened, about 3 minutes.

2.
Add the zucchini and sauté for 2 minutes without browning. Add the stock and simmer until the zucchini is just tender, 3 to 4 minutes.

3.
Bring the soup to a boil and add the watercress. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 minute.

4.
In a food processor or blender, blend the soup until smooth. Season with the salt and pepper. (The soup can be prepared ahead to this
point. Let cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate. If serving the soup hot, bring back to a simmer before proceeding.)

5.
Just before serving, stir in the cream.

NOTE

I use only the white part of the leeks and peel the zucchini so the color of the soup will be pale green like the classic version. If I am not so concerned about the color, I use the tender green parts of the leeks as well. However, I always peel the zucchini, for otherwise it might look like a spinach soup.

VARIATIONS

C
URRIED
W
ATERCRESS
S
OUP

[POTAGE AU CRESSON ET AU CURRY]

Reduce the amount of watercress to ½ bunch and add 1 tablespoon curry powder along with the stock in step 2.

A
RUGULA
S
OUP

[POTAGE À LA ROQUETTE]

Replace the watercress with a generous handful of baby arugula.

SPLIT-PEA SOUP

[POTAGE DE POIS CASSÉS]

Green split-pea soup is a hearty winter soup that, together with some warm bread, a piece of cheese, and fruit, provides a very satisfying meal. In France, it is most often served with croutons (small cubes of fried bread), but because of their high calorie count, I rarely use them.

The traditional version of this soup was somewhat more time-consuming and arduous, the cook having to use a
tamis
(drum-shaped sieve) to achieve the proper consistency. The blender and food processor make this an easier operation for the contemporary cook.

I also use this recipe for lentil, bean, and other legume-based soups. It can easily be cut in half for fewer servings.

SERVES 8 TO 10

2 pounds green split peas, washed and picked over

2 leeks, washed and diced

2 onions, each studded with 1 clove

2 large carrots, cut in half

2 celery ribs, with leaves if possible Bouquet Garni (
page 306
)

1 ham bone, ½ pound slab bacon (see Note), or

½ pound smoked sausage 1 handful lettuce leaves (optional)

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

3 quarts water

¼ cup dry sherry (optional)

1.
Put all of the ingredients, except the sherry, into a stockpot. Bring the soup to a boil and simmer, partially covered, until the peas are tender, about 1 hour.

2.
Remove the meat and set it aside (see Note). Discard the onions, bouquet garni, one of the carrots, and the celery.

3.
In a blender or food processor, purée the ingredients remaining in the pot until they are smooth. If the soup is too thick, thin it with a little water or milk.

4.
Dice the ham or sausage and add it to the soup. (The soup can be prepared ahead to this point. Let cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate. Bring to a simmer before proceeding.)

5.
Just before serving, add the sherry (if using).

NOTE

If you are using bacon, after removing it in step 2, rinse and dice it. Then sauté it before returning it to the soup in step 4.

VARIATION

P
EASANT
-S
TYLE
S
PLIT
-P
EA
S
OUP

[POTAGE PAYSAN DE POIS CASSÉS]

As with most puréed soups, a coarser, more rustic version can be made. To do this, dice all the vegetables except for one of the onions, which you stud with the cloves. When the peas are soft, discard only the whole onion and the bouquet garni. Remove the ham or sausage after cooking, dice, and return to the soup. If using bacon, rinse, dice, sauté, and return to the soup.

CREAM OF ASPARAGUS SOUP