‘A Guide by Royal Palm Hotel’s Executive Chef, Guy Gorrie’
To become a top chef at a 5-star luxurious hotel like Royal Palm Hotel Umhlanga, you need to have the ability to create menus to suit every occasion and every season. Executive Head Chef Guy Gorrie shares his take on how to make a divine French onion soup that you can share with family and friends this cold winter.
“Winter comfort food at its finest, French onion soup is a hearty, complete meal in a bowl that needs no adornments other than a generous blanket of rich, creamy cheese and perhaps a slice of crusty bread. The key to making any French onion soup is properly cooking the onions. Instead of quickly sautéing them until browned, it’s important to cook them over low heat for a long period of time until they’re soft, boasting a deliciously sweet taste and deep golden, caramelized colour”, says Gorrie.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup of unsalted butter
- 2 table spoons of olive oil
- 4 cups of sliced onion
- 4 cans of beef broth
- 2 tablespoons of dry sherry
- 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
- A pinch of salt and pepper
- 4 slices of French bread
- 4 slices of Provolone cheese
- ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese
- 2 slices of Swiss cheese, diced
Method:
- Melt butter with olive oil in an 8-quart stock pot on medium heat. Add onions and continually stir until tender and translucent. Do not brown the onions.
- Add beef broth, sherry and thyme. Season with salt and pepper, and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Heat the oven broiler.
- Ladle soup into oven-safe serving bowls and place one slice of bread on top of each (bread may be broken into pieces if you prefer). Layer each slice of bread with a slice of Provolone, 1/2 slice diced Swiss and 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese. Place bowls on cookie sheet and broil in the preheated oven until cheese bubbles and browns slightly.
Best served hot.