Updated Classics: French Onion Soup

By Susan Able with Chef Ed Scarpone, photography by Jennifer Chase

In our Winter Issue, we asked three chefs to share with us updated takes on some tried-and-true crowd pleaser classics.

The wintry weather is perfect to try this French Onion Soup from Chef Ed Scarpone, culinary director, Schlow Restaurant Group. He told me about his take on this iconic soup.

“The perfect pairing for my Coq Au Vin would be this French Onion Soup. This version is a classic French onion soup, with one change that speaks to my New England roots: sherry. I remember eating chowder with my dad at the Old Griswold Inn in Essex, CT, and there was always a bottle of sherry on the table for the chowder. If you add sherry before serving, it lightens it up. I refer to it as “raw sherry” because adding it at the end means the alcohol isn’t cooked out. And I love using Fino sherry. I live by the adage that if you cook with wine, you should also want to drink it.”

French Onion Soup

Ingredients:

1 pound butter

5 medium white onions, sliced thin

3 cloves garlic chopped 

6 sprigs thyme

4 ounces dry Riesling wine

4 ounces brandy

6 quarts unsalted beef broth (Honestly, store-bought is fine.)

5 ounces Fino sherry

1 baguette sliced into 1-inch pieces 

Lots of sliced Swiss cheese

Salt and pepper

To make:

Preheat oven to 400°F. In a pot, melt 1 pound of butter. Add the onions, garlic and thyme to caramelize onions.

Cook on medium heat, stirring every 5 minutes for an hour (Yes, an hour—when you think they are caramelized enough, caramelize them some more.) Once the onions are dark brown and nearly melting, add Riesling and brandy and cook for 5 minutes to cook the alcohol off.

Add the beef broth and bring to a simmer. Cook for 1 hour at a low simmer. While it cooks, toast the baguette slices in oven on each side for 2 minutes each, just to slightly dry them out.

Turn the heat off and add the sherry. Season with salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into crocks and place 1 piece of toasted baguette in each crock. Top with as much Swiss cheese as you can and place the crock in oven to toast the top of the cheese, approximately 8 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven and enjoy.

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@edscarpone

Chef Ed Scarpone is culinary director of the Schlow Restaurant Group in DC.

Photo by Jennifer Chase.

Make a Restaurant Dish at Home: The Mi Vida Posole Rojo

Chef Roberto Santibañez shares a popular Mexican stew

By Chef Roberto Santibañez and the Mi Vida team, special to Edible DC

There is really no translation for this big, hearty soup/stew of pork and pozole—what is known in the states as hominy. Pozole are corn kernels that are treated with limestone to swell the kernels and remove their skins. If you can get freshly made pozole, there is nothing better, but canned hominy is ready a few minutes after adding it to the pot and using the liquid from the can adds good flavor, too. 

Tips from Chef Roberto before you begin:

• A great Pozole begins with great hominy that has been nixtamalized (cooking the corn at a low temperature with “cal” also known as slacked lime or Calcium Hydroxide). If possible, try to get hominy from a Mexican Tortilleria or bodega as they most likely serve it fresh.

• If you have to buy hominy canned, make sure the ingredients list only corn, water and lime (slacked lime or Calcium Hydroxide). The best canned hominy found at a supermarket is typically Bush’s brand.

• The second most important part to a Pozole is the broth. It’s traditionally made with pork but can be substituted with chicken or any meat of choice. It’s very important to add bones to create a collagen-rich broth.

• The seasonings in the broth are an integral part to the recipe as well. It’s important to be patient and cook the chiles, tomatoes and spices low and slow to concentrate the flavors.

• Garnishes vary, but traditionally, crunchy tortillas, lettuce, oregano and radishes top the Pozole.

Pozole Rojo

Makes 6 generous servings

For the sauce (broth)

• 2 large tomatoes (about 1 pound)

• 1 small white onion, peeled and cut into ½-inch slices

• 5 to 6 large ancho chilies (about 3 ounces), cleaned, stemmed, seeded, toasted and soaked

• 10 large garlic cloves (about ½ cup)

• ½ teaspoon allspice berries

•  2 tablespoons vegetable oil

For the pozole

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1 large white onion, finely chopped

• 10 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 1 tablespoon dried oregano

• 1 rack (2 pounds) baby back spare ribs, cut between the bones into individual ribs

• 1 tablespoon salt

• 1 large bunch cilantro, folded in half and tied into a neat bundle with kitchen twine

• One 4-pound chicken, cut into 10 pieces

• Four 15-ounce cans pozole, with liquid

• 2 poblano chilies, roasted, peeled and coarsely chopped 

For the toppings:

• 1 head romaine lettuce, wilted leaves and core removed, cut into ½-inch strips

• 2 bunches radishes, trimmed and cut into ¼-inch slices

• 4 limes, cut in half

• Chili de arbol powder, or a chili powder of your choice

• Dried oregano

Make the sauce: Set the rack about 8 inches from the broiler and preheat the broiler to low. Arrange the tomatoes and onion slices on a broiler pan in a single layer and cook, turning once, until blackened in spots and softened, about 12 minutes. When cool enough, slip off the tomato skins. Working in batches if necessary, blend the tomatoes, onion, anchos, garlic, and allspice berries until very smooth. Add up to 1 cup water (total, not to each batch) if necessary to make a smooth puree. 

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Pour in the puree and cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened. Control the heat so the sauce doesn’t spatter. Pour in 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the sauce is simmering and cook, stirring occasionally, 1 hour. Add small amounts of water from time to time to keep the sauce more or less at the same consistency. The sauce can be made up to 2 days in advance. Refrigerate until needed.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 5-quart heavy pot or casserole over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and oregano. Cook, stirring, until the onion is softened, about 4 minutes. Pour in 4 quarts water, add the spare ribs and salt, and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the liquid is simmering and cook 45 minutes. The broth can be made up to a day in advance. Refrigerate and bring to a simmer before continuing.

Stir in the sauce and add the cilantro. Return to the simmer and cook 15 minutes. Add the chicken legs, thighs and wings. Cook 15 minutes.

Add the chicken breasts, pozole with its liquid, and poblanos. Bring to a simmer and cook until the chicken is cooked through and the pork is tender, about 15 minutes.

While the pozole is finishing up, put whichever toppings you are using in appropriate size bowls and set them on the table. To serve, ladle the pozole into deep warm bowls, including some of each ingredient in every bowl. Pass the toppings around the table, letting people add them as they like.

To turn this into a real feast and serve with Tostadas and Refried Black Beans. Let people spread their tostadas with the beans and munch on them in between spoonfuls of pozole.

Fromage Blanc Tartine

Recipe by Executive Chef Ryan Arensdorf, photography by Alicia Bruce

Chef Ryan’s tartine is great as a starter, a light lunch or breakfast.

Spring! Finally, the tender season has arrived and fresh seasonal produce will reappear at our farmers markets.

With the season as his inspiration, Chef Ryan Arensdorf from Harriman’s Grill at Salamander Resort & Spa in Middleburg, VA, shared this recipe, one that features a new local partnership. Locksely Farmstead Cheese Company, a neighbor to the Inn, is now up and running. Chef Ryan’s tartine—great as a starter, a light lunch or breakfast—is made with cheese from Locksley and ingredients from chef’s kitchen garden and nearby farmers. Easy to make at home, this tartine lets spring show off its best.  You can catch it at our Eat Drink Local event on June 10th!

Fromage Blanc Tartine
Yield: 6 servings

1 bunch ramps or spring onions
1 wedge lemon
¼ cup honey
2 thick slices pumpernickel bread
1 cup Fromage Blanc cheese
¼ cup salted cashews
Extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt & black pepper

Preheat a grill to medium-high. Toss the ramps or onions with olive oil, seasoning with salt and pepper. The greens should char, burn and get crispy. The white parts of the ramps or onion should turn golden and be cooked through. Divide the crisped greens from the white onion parts. Let cool, then squeeze the lemon over the charred greens, then chop up. They will be flaky.

Mix the charred, ashy greens with the honey. Set aside.

Heat up a grill pan or grill and brush the bread with oil. Sear the bread slices well on the first side, about 2–3 minutes, then flip and lightly sear the other side. Remove from the pan and blot dry if needed.

Divide the Fromage Blanc in even portions and spread generously over the warm pumpernickel with the back of a spoon. Top with charred ramp bulbs and salted cashews. Drizzle with ash honey and serve immediately while still warm.