James Dimmer III

Soup, the thoughts of soup just don’t really bode well..  You know, it’s ok, but what soup really satisfies ?

We found it !  This recipe from Tony Bourdain and Les Halles is fantastic ! Don’t bother with the oven proof crocks, just grab your propane torch and torch the cheese, it’s too much fun !

For the broth:

1. In a large pot, heat the butter over medium heat until it is melted and begins to brown. Add the onions and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and browned (about 20 minutes). Onion soup, unsurprisingly, is all about the onions. Make damn sure the onions are a nice, dark, even brown color.
2. Increase the heat to medium high and stir in the port wine and the vinegar, scraping all that brown goodness from the bottom of the pot into the liquid. Add the chicken stock. Note that the better and more intense your stock, the better the soup’s going to be. This soup, in particular, is a very good argument for making your own. Add the bacon and the bouquet garni, and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce to a simmer, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 45 minutes to an hour, skimming any foam off the top with a ladle. Remove the bouquet garni.

For the croutons and cheese:

1. When the soup is finished cooking, ladle it into the individual crocks. Float two croutons side by side on top of each. Spread a generous, even heaping amount of cheese over the top of the soup. You want some extra to hang over the edges as the crispy, near-burnt stuff that sticks to the outer sides of the crocks is often the best part, once it comes out from under the heat.
2. Place each crock under a preheated, rip-roaring broiler until the cheese melts, bubbles, browns, and even scorches slightly in isolated spots. The finished cheese should be a panorama of molten brown hues ranging from golden brown to dark brown to a few black spots where the cheese blistered and burned. Serve immediately—and carefully. You don’t know pain until you’ve spilled one of these things.
3. If your broiler is too small or too weak to pull this off, you can try it in a preheated 425°F/220°C oven until the cheese is melted. A nice optional move: Once the mound of grated cheese starts to flatten out in the oven, remove each crock and, with a propane torch, blast the cheese until you get the colors you want.

Alfredo is not necessarily Alfred from Naples, (although it may be and he is probably a nice fellow) it’s the key to self discovery and a way to express your love or gratitude for those you care about.  Really, it’s a true expression of love from the kitchen.  To help you improve the quality of your life, let me share my recipe for success.

Ingredients:

1 dose of Pavarotti courtesy of www.pandora.com (cranked loudly)

3 Candles

1/2 cup butter

1 – 8 ounce package of cream cheese

2 pieces of garlic

4 ounces mozzarella cheese

2 cups milk

3-6 ounces of mozzarella cheese

Black pepper to taste

Bacon crumbles – salad bacon bits are fine but ONLY real bacon

2 bottles of quality local white wine

1/4 cup white wine for the recipe the rest is to show love for your guests..

(Make sure you have 2 bottles, one for the preparation time and one for dinner)

Surf to pandora.com and create a Luciano Pavarotti station.  Crank speakers up so the opera vocals fill the house.  Light candles one in the kitchen and two others near your guests.

Set the tone with a glass of wine, pinot grigio is a  good choice.  If you are local to Michigan there are a few good wines like a Traminette from Sandhill Crane *

Melt butter in medium saucepan taking care not to burn with too much heat. Add cream cheese and squeeze garlic with garlic press while whisking mixture until melted and smooth in texture.  Slowly dribble the milk in as if you were making gravy.  Smooth out solid chunks as cheese melts.  Stir in your cubed Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese whisking violently until the mixture is smooth.  Monitor temperature and make sure that the heat is low just melting the mixture.

Prepare your pasta al dente ahead of the Alfredo, and allow it to rest while making the sauce.  When the sauce is ready (smooth) all of the butter will be absorbed into the mixture, and you are ready to add the bacon and 1/4 cup of white wine.

Whisk wine and crumbled bacon into sauce and remove from heat.  Serve with al dente pasta and you can even mix in some cooked vegetables for a fantastic feast !

Chill wine glasses, and serve !

If your guests don’t smile, turn the Pavarotti up louder and serve more wine !

* According to the sandhill crane website …

Gold medals – 2007 Taster’s Guild Int’l. Competition & 2007 Michigan Wine & Spirits Competition & 2006 Jefferson Cup Invitational -American Example of Greatness award. Fruit forward flavors with hints of lychee, other tropical fruits, and citrus, along with the spicy sweetness of its parent, Gewürztraminer. $15.95