OK Gonna post the finished products first (yeah some are in stainless steel bowls... w/e) then I'm going to do a bit of a lesson on the three soups I made in class: French Onion(god-tier),Spicy Black Bean Soup(high tier), and Gumbo (meh).
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| Pinwheel cookies |
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| Bull's eye cookies |
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| Checkerboard cookies |
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| Marble Cookies |
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| French Onion Soup |
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| Gumbo |
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| Spicy Black Bean Soup |
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| French Onion Soup... again |
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| Soups cookin' |
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| Brown roux |
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Soup Tutorials
French Onion Soup
Ingredients:
3 onions, julienne (thin slice)
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
2 tbsp sherry
1 litre beef stock
1 bay leaf
Salt and Pepper
3 slices baguette per bowl
1 whole clove garlic (optional)
Gruyere and Parmesan cheese (about 4-1 ratio. amounts will depend on ho many bowls u plan to serve)
Method:
- Toast baguette slices and lightly rub with garlic. Set aside.
- Heat a heavy pot (that can hold all the soup) over medium-high heat. Melt butter and add onions. As soon as the onions soften and turn translucent, turn heat down to low or medium low. Allow the onions to turn a nice brown color (stirring frequently to prevent onions from sticking an also to prevent the residues of the onions from collecting and burning on the pan).
- When onions are thoroughly browned, sprinkle the flour on top and stir in vigorously. This serves two purposes: 1) To absorb any excess fat from the butter and 2) Slightly thickens and adds body to the soup.
- Deglaze pan with sherry (you don't need to set it alight...) by pouring it in and scraping all the good brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Then add the stock and the bay leaf. Season lightly (the soup will reduce and concentrate the flavors, so be careful with the salt) Simmer until reduced by 1/3 (as in 2/3rds will be left). You can simmer for longer if you wish, you will just have to add water (or preferably stock) if it reduces too much.
- When soup has reduce, preheat the broiler and warm the soup bowl slightly(there is a traditional kind of bowl used for this soup but any oven/broiler-safe bowl will do). Fill the bowl with soup and put toasted baguette on top. Top with the cheese mix and place under broiler until golden and bubbly.
- Serve Immediately.
Spicy Black Bean Soup
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
1 onion, small dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp coriander
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup black beans, soaked
1 liter chicken stock
1/2 cup canned tomatoes, crushed
2-3 jalapenos (depending on your tastes), seeded and minced
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper
Method:
- Saute onions and garlic over med-high heat till softened,add spices and cook 1 minute.
- Add rest of ingredients and simmer until beans are cooked thoroughly (mushy is fine in this case).
- Puree. adjust thickness with water or stock.
Gumbo
Ingredients:
3 tbsp oil
3 tbsp flour
1 onion, small dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, medium dice
1 stalk celery, medium dice
2 tbsp creole seasoning
1/2cup canned tomato. crushed
1 4inch link andouille or chorizo sausage, cubed
1 Liter chicken stock
3-4 large shrimp, peeled, deveined and diced (tail off)
3-4 okra, sliced
1 tsp file powder
Method:
- Heat oil with flour in large pot over medium heat. Mix thoroughly and cook until a deep brown (like in picture), stirring constantly and lowering heat as it starts to brown. This creates a brown roux, which adds flavor and thickening to the soup.
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| Brown roux |
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add onions, garlic, celery and pepper and cook until softened. ad creole powder, tomatoes and sausage along with the stock.- Simmer for an hour at least. add shrimp in last 2-5 minutes of cooking as they cook very quickly (they are done when they turn pink and opaque). Serve sprinkled with file powder, over top of rice.
