The Perfect Complement

By Author: News Canada
Total Articles: 82
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(NC)—The origin of onion soup is rooted in two legends. The first story credits its origin with King Louis XV of France who returned late one night to his hunting lodge, and all that was on hand were onions, butter and champagne. He mixed them together and created the first French Onion Soup. Another legend states that decades ago, farmers in Les Halles, the old market place of Paris, would sip on huge mugs of boiling onion soup to keep warm while setting up for the mornings activities. The perfect complement to any meal or by itself, this popular flavourful broth with zesty sautéed onions is topped with melted Gruyère cheese for a truly wonderful taste experience. French Onion Soup with Gruyère Croutons (Serves 4) 3 tbsp (45 mL) butter or margarine 4 large Spanish onions, thinly sliced 2 tsp (125 mL) all-purpose flour 1 carton (900 mL) Knorr Beef Broth 1/2 cup (125 mL) white wine 1 bay leaf 1/4 tsp (1 mL) brandy 4 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick slices of French bread, toasted 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) Gruyère cheese In large saucepan, melt butter and sauté onions on medium heat, stirring frequently 35-40 ...
... minutes, until golden brown. Add flour, and cook while stirring for 1-2 minutes. Stir in white wine, Knorr Beef Broth and bay leaf, scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Stir in brandy, season to taste with salt and pepper. Preheat broiler. Ladle soup evenly into 4 broiler proof bowls. Top each bowl with a slice of toasted bread and grated cheese. Place on baking sheet about 4"-5" (10-13 cm) from heat source and broil until cheese melts and bubbles. - News Canada About the Author News Canada provides a wide selection of current, ready-to-use copyright free news stories and ideas for Television, Print, Radio, and the Web. News Canada is a niche service in public relations, offering access to print, radio, television, and now the Internet media, with ready-to-use, editorial "fill" items. Monitoring and analysis are two more of our primary services. The service supplies access to the national media for marketers in the private, the public, and the not-for-profit sectors. Your corporate and product news, consumer tips and information are packaged in a variety of ready-to-use formats and are made available to every Canadian media organization including weekly and daily newspapers, cable and commercial television stations, radio stations, as well as the Web sites Canadians visit most often. Visit News Canada and learn more about the NC services.