“French Onion Soup” Tarte Flambée Pizza with Homemade “French Onion Soup” Onion Marmalade, Roasted Garlic Crème Fraiche, + Bacon

We have been on a French Onion Soup kick lately... we recently made a bacon infused recipe and also a casserole... and now a PIZZA! The idea quite frankly translates perfectly. The pizza dough mimics the crusty bread plopped on top of the soup, then there's that melt-y cheese you can't get enough of, and ohhhhh those caramelized onions. It all works, y'all. But my delicious twist on this dish is the "French Onion Soup" Onion Marmalade. This stuff is so gosh-damn-amazing, you'll be sneaking spoonfuls into your mouth as it is cooling (take my word for it). Not only is it caramelized onions, but it is reduced down with beef stock, red wine, cognac, sugar, white balsamic reduction, herbs, and butter. This marmalade is sticky, gooey, and utterly concentrated with French Onion Soup flavor! Another different direction I went in was making a "Tarte Flambée" style pizza. This uses a key ingredient of creme fraiche as the base of the pizza. I boosted the flavor with roasted garlic, minced garlic, and freshly grated nutmeg. It gives this pie a luscious cream that oozes out with each bite into that chewy crust and it cannot be beat! On top goes a whole mound of mozzarella, gruyere, and parmesan cheese and slices of extra crispy pieces of bacon. What gets better than that? All you have to do is finish it with some fleur de sel, fresh cracked pepper, red pepper flakes, and minced fresh herbs. This pizza is addictive, I kept wanting more + more every bite I took. It was astounding to me, how could something taste this good. Every culinary level is reached, hell, pizza greatness was reached. I can't say it more, but I'd take this pizza over French Onion Soup any day!! Enjoy :)

For the “French Onion Soup” Onion Marmalade:

3 Yellow Onions, Thinly Sliced

Kosher Salt

¼C Unsalted Butter

¾C Beef Stock + Splash of Red Wine

2-3T White Balsamic Reduction

1C Sugar

1T Cognac

2 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme + 2 Dried Bay Leaves

Kosher Salt + Fresh Cracked Pepper, To Taste 

For the Roasted Garlic Crème Fraiche:

8oz Crème Fraiche

1 Head of Roasted Garlic

¼t Freshly Grated Nutmeg

Kosher Salt + Fresh Cracked Pepper, To Taste

1 Garlic Clove, Minced

For the “French Onion Soup” Tarte Flambé Pizza:

1 Batch of Pizza Dough

Prepared Roasted Garlic Crème Fraiche

Prepared “French Onion Soup” Onion Marmalade, Cooled

8-10 Slices of Applewood Smoked Bacon, Cooked until Crispy + Cut into 1-2inch Pieces

½C Shredded Mozzarella + ½C Shredded Gruyere

Freshly Grated Parmesan

½t Fresh Thyme + Dried Red Pepper Flakes

Fleur de Sel + Fresh Cracked Pepper, For Sprinkling

Directions:

1. For the “French Onion Soup” Onion Marmalade: In a large pot, heat the butter until shimmering. Add the onions (and a heavy pinch of a salt) and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Add in the herbs and cook over low heat, stirring a few times until fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle the sugar over the onions and cook, without stirring, until the sugar melts, about 5 minutes. Increase the heat to high and cook until an amber brown caramel forms, about 5-6 minutes. Stir in the beef stock, red wine, cognac, and white balsamic vinegar reduction. Cook and stir until the jam is thick about 10-15 minutes. Discard the herbs and season the jam with salt and pepper until you have reached your desired taste. Let it cool completely.

2. For the Roasted Garlic Crème Fraiche: Combine the Crème Fraiche, mashed roasted garlic, grated nutmeg, minced garlic, salt and pepper. Set it aside.

3. Preheat your oven to 550 degrees and place your pizza stone inside and allow it to heat in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour.

4. For the French Onion Soup Pizza: Create a 12inch round of dough on a semolina dusted pizza peel and spread the roasted garlic crème fraiche over the top. Lay a thick layer of the onion marmalade on top, followed by scattering the mozzarella and Gruyere cheeses. Put a little more marmalade and then place the pieces of bacon next. Grate the Parmesan all over the surface of the pizza and garnish the top with fresh thyme and a sprinkle of salt & pepper. Slide the pizza onto the pizza stone and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese has melted and begun to caramelize. Remove from the oven and cut into slices, and serve immediately! 

Braised Short Rib Ragu Pasta

There are some meals here on Haute + Heirloom that we tend to repeat... and repeat... and repeat. Like our favorite Fancy Pot Roast, we make this 3-4 times a month. Well this Braised Short Rib Ragu Pasta is also becoming a weekly tradition. It is something that you can start early on Sunday and by dinner time you just have to stir together everything for a super comforting + filling meal. There is something so magical about braised short ribs, and I can't really put my finger on it, but it is truly special. After browning the short ribs in a big pot, I added in a bunch of aromatics... carrots, garlic, leeks, onions, parsley, and celery. After they saute a bit, it's time to add in the pureed tomatoes, tomato paste, beef stock, and red wine.

Finally, it is all topped with the crucial "flavor"-producing components... herbs, bay leaves, cocoa powder, balsamic vinegar, fish sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. These all bring such depth to the dish, so don't skip out on any of them. I MEAN IT. Now this pot, it's gonna braise and braise and braise some more. Like 4-5 hours worth of braising is on the horizon, but to me, that's okay because I'm already doing some house cleaning and laundry, so I can keep an eye out on the pot as well. Eventually you get to that glorious part of the recipe where the braised short ribs are amazingly tender and forked off the bone tender. UM YUM. And then, you have to reduce this sauce down until it becomes chocolate brown and much thicker than where it started. I continuously stirred the sauce, so it would evenly reduce and not burn on the bottom. Once that sauce is ready, it's time to add in some more yummy stuff. Begin by browning a stick of butter in a separate pot, once it is just started to brown, add in the minced garlic and saute for just a minute or two. Throw in already cooked pasta, turn off the heat, and coat the pasta in the garlicky brown butter. And this, my friends, is where the magic begins to happen. Put the shredded short rib met on top of the pasta, along with as many scoops of your ragu sauce as you like, caramelized onions, red pepper flakes, shaved bittersweet chocolate, half of the grated Parmesan, some fresh herbs, and heavy cream (to make it extra luscious). Fold in all of the ingredients until you have a cohesive pasta dish. Spoon the finished pasta into serving bowls and garnish with a mound of freshly grated Parmesan + fresh herbs. Y'all are gonna LOVE it!! Enjoy :)

For the Braised Short Ribs:

¼C Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4oz Diced Pancetta + A Heavy Pinch of Cinnamon

4lbs Bone-In Short Ribs

Fleur de Sel + Fresh Cracked Pepper (to heavily season the short ribs)

½C AP Flour

1 Vidalia Onion, Finely Minced

1 Leek, Finely Minced

3 Carrots, Finely Minced

4 Cloves of Garlic, Finely Minced

3 Stalks of Celery, Finely Minced

½C Fresh Parsley

28oz Whole San Marzano Canned Tomatoes, Pureed until Smooth

3T Tomato Paste

2 ½C Beef Stock

1 ½C Red Wine

2 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary + Fresh Thyme

1t Dried Oregano

3 Bay Leaves

3T Cocoa Powder (sifted to remove clumps)

1T Balsamic Vinegar

1T Fish Sauce

1T Worcestershire Sauce

For the Braised Short Rib Pasta:

1 Stick of Unsalted Butter, Melted & Browned

4 Cloves of Garlic, Minced

1lb Pasta, Cooked Al Dente

Braised Short Ribs, Shredded into Bite Size Pieces (prepared above)

A Few Scoops of the Braised Short Rib Ragu Sauce (from the pot used above… to taste)

1C Caramelized Onions

½-1C Heavy Cream (depending on how creamy you like it)

1-2t Red Pepper Flakes (or as spicy as you like)

4-6t Shaved Bittersweet Chocolate

1C Freshly Grated Parmesan (divided)

Fresh Herbs, For Garnishing (we used parsley, basil, and chives)

Directions:

1. Preparing the Short Ribs: Place the olive oil in a large heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add in the Pancetta, with a pinch of cinnamon, and cook until the Pancetta is golden and crisp. This will take about 2-4 minutes. Meanwhile, season the short ribs with salt and pepper, and then dredge in flour (make sure to dust off any excess flour, so there is only a light coating). Using a slotted spoon, remove the Pancetta from the pan and put them into a small bowl, and reserve it for later. Add the short ribs to the pan and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Once all of the short ribs have evenly browned, take them out of the pot and place them on a plate or baking dish.

2. Making the Braised Short Rib Ragu: Meanwhile, place the onion, leek, carrots, garlic, celery, and parsley into a food processor and pulse until everything is finely diced, but definitely not pureed! Add these minced aromatics to the pot that the short ribs had been browning in and allow them to cook and caramelize some, just about 5-10 minutes over medium heat. After sautéing them, add the crispy pancetta, pureed tomatoes, tomato paste, beef stock, and red wine. Bring this mixture to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer, before you submerge all of the browned short ribs into the braising liquid, and then top with fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, dried oregano, and bay leaves. Cover the pot and cook at a simmer for 2 hours. Remove the lid and simmer for another 2 hours, making sure to stir occasionally. After this period of cooking, remove the lid, and continue to cook for another 2 hours (while also making sure to occasionally stir the sauce). After their second cooking period, remove the meat and bones from the pot. Discard the meat and bones from the pot onto a large cutting board (making sure to throw away any fatty pieces as well). Shred the meat into bite-size pieces and let them rest while we reduce the ragu sauce. Stir in the cocoa powder, balsamic vinegar, fish sauce, and Worcestershire sauce, and bring the sauce up to a boil, and then back down to medium heat. You will need to remain near the pot to stir the sauce to ensure that it does not burn. Cook this sauce until it is much darker in color and reduced in volume. It should be quite thick. Remove the bay leaves, sprigs of rosemary, and sprigs of thyme. Season the sauce with some kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper (and sugar if you want it to be a little bit sweeter).

3. Assembling the Short Rib Pasta: In another pot, melt a stick of butter over medium heat until it begins to brown and release a nutty fragrance. Add the minced garlic and sauté just for a minute or so in the brown butter. Turn off the heat and quickly add the al dente pasta and coat it completely in the garlicky brown butter. Throw all the meat on top of the pasta, followed by some scoops of the reduced ragu sauce (as much as you want), caramelized onions, heavy cream, red pepper flakes, ½C grated Parmesan, shaved bittersweet chocolate, and fresh herbs. Fold the pasta gently to combine and until a luscious sauce has coated your pasta.

4. Serving the Pasta: Spoon the short rib pasta into serving bowls and add a heap of freshly grated Parmesan and some fresh herbs to garnish. Enjoy! 

Bacon Infused + Slowly Caramelized French Onion Soup with Bacon Fat Sourdough Toast, Gruyere Cheese, Aged Cheddar Cheese, Parmesan Cheese, & Bacon Lardons

It's funny how something as simple as soup, can be exactly what you need on a crummy day. We usually make a pot every Sunday because it seems to have a calming effect on all of us. It's so comforting, simple yet complex, and it's something that the longer it cooks, the better it tastes. That is certainly the case when it comes to this recipe, my Bacon Infused + Slowly Caramelized French Onion Soup with Bacon Fat Sourdough Toast, Gruyere Cheese, Aged Cheddar Cheese, Parmesan Cheese, & Bacon Lardons. Who doesn't love caramelized onions? Everyone has to. The process of caramelizing the onions takes a loooooong time... like 3-4 hours long. But that's okay, it's not super high maintenance besides occasionally stirring it, so that the onions caramelize evenly. And like any good Southerner would do... I added a shit ton of bacon essence to it. Yep, I started by crisping up some bacon lardons, and then removing them to a separate bowl before I caramelized the onions in the rendered bacon fat. After the hours + hours of cooking the onions low + slow, you will find a pot of a gold. The pure gold is certainly something that has been handed down to us by the gods.

After the onions were done, I added all the yummy liquids... cognac, balsamic vinegar, red wine, beef stock, and water. Once they've gone through a good simmer and the flavors have begun to meld, make sure to season to taste with some salt, pepper, sugar, and even some more wine if you like. The part of French Onion Soup that everyone loves is the bread + the melty cheese. I took this component over the top by frying some slices of sourdough bread in bacon fat until they got golden brown + toasty. This bacon-fat-infused bread is plopped on the surface of the soup before a mixture of gruyere, aged cheddar, and parmesan is piled on top. Just pop the bowls into the oven and broil the heck out of it until the cheese is melted and nicely browned. All you have left to do is garnish with some crispy bacon lardons and fresh herbs, and you will be one happy girl/boy!! Enjoy :)

For the French Onion Soup:

1T Unsalted Butter

½lb Thick Cut Applewood Smoked Bacon, Cut into Lardons (reserve the rendered fat)

6-8lbs Yellow Onions, Thinly Sliced

¼C Sugar (plus a little extra to sweeten the soup if needed)

Smoked Fleur de Sel + Fresh Cracked Pepper

2 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme

1/3C Cognac (sherry may be substituted)

1-2T Aged Balsamic Vinegar (optional)

1C Red Wine

4C Unsalted Beef Stock (preferably homemade, but store-bought is fine)

1C Water

Slices of Sourdough Bread (make sure it is able to fit inside the bowl)

Rendered Bacon Fat, For Frying the Bread

½lb Gruyere Cheese, Grated

½lb Aged Cheddar Cheese, Grated

Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese (to top the other cheeses)

Crispy Bacon Lardons, For Garnishing (made crispy in the first step)

Fresh Parsley or Chives, Minced (for garnishing)

Directions:

1. Beginning the Soup: Use a large soup pot that will hold all of the onions and liquid. Place the pot over medium heat and melt the 1T of butter. Add the bacon lardons and cook until the bacon has rendered all of its fat and it is crispy. Strain the bacon from the pot into a small bowl and set it aside until the soup is finished. Add all of the thinly sliced onions; sprinkle them with 2t smoked fleur de sel, some fresh cracked pepper, and the sugar. Stir to combine. Cover and cook until the onions have heated through and started to steam, about 30-45 minutes. 

2. Caramelizing the Onions: Uncover the pot, reduce the heat to low, add in the fresh thyme, and cook, stirring continuously (you should be able to leave the onions alone for an hour once they’ve released their water). I kept cooking my onions for at least 3-4 hours, low + slow until they reach a deep, dark golden brown.

3. Making the Bacon Fat Fried Sourdough Slices: In a sauté pan, over medium heat, melt some bacon fat and fry the slices of sourdough bread until they are golden brown and toasty. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Place the slices of fried bread onto a baking sheet and keep them warm until you are ready to top the soup with them.

4. Finishing the Soup: When the onions have completely cooked down and all their liquid had cooked out, add in the cognac, balsamic, red wine, beef stock, and water. Raise the heat to high and bring the soup to a simmer, and then reduce the heat to low. Taste and season with smoked fleur de sel, fresh cracked pepper, and some sugar if needed. If the soup is too sweet, you can add an extra tablespoon of balsamic. If you want the soup to have more depth, add a little more red wine (shhh, no one has to know).

5. Serving the Soup: Preheat the broiler of your oven. Portion the soup into the bowls, top with a bacon fat fried slice of sourdough bread, cover with a handful of gruyere cheese and a handful of aged cheddar cheese, and finish with a mound of freshly grated parmesan. Broil until the cheese is melted and nicely browned. Garnish the top with crispy bacon lardons and minced herbs. Serve immediately.  

Soup Sunday: Truffled French Onion Soup

I have never loved French Onion Soup. I'm not quite sure why though. I really like all of the ingredients that go into it. But, I though perhaps it was because I had never had it homemade before... and I was right. French Onion Soup is da-bomb. The caramelized onions, rich beef broth, thick bread, and ooey gooey-melty-delicious cheese topping are all just amazing. I took a classic recipe and pretty much kept it the same, however, I doubled the amount of caramelized onions and added truffle to it. What's not to love about truffles? Nothin'. So, there's some truffle butter, truffle oil, & bread slices fried in more truffle oil (for the topping). The soup was super easy and so delicious that we slurped it all up!! Enjoy :)

Truffled French Onion Soup

For the Soup:

3lbs Yellow Onions, Thinly Sliced

6T Truffle Butter

2T Truffle Oil

2t Salt

½t Sugar

3T AP Flour

2Q Beef Stock

½C Dry White Wine

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Cheesy Bread Topping:

Thick Crusty Bread, Grilled or Fried in Truffle Oil

Gruyere Cheese, Grated  

Parmesan Cheese, Grated

Fresh Minced Parsley, For Garnishing

Directions:

1. Cook the onions slowly with the butter and oil in the covered saucepan for 15 minutes. Uncover, raise the heat to medium, and stir in the salt and sugar. Cook for 60-90 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions have turned an even, deep, golden brown.
2. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 3 minutes. Take the pot off the heat, and blend in the beef stock and white wine. Simmer partially covered for 30-45 minutes or more. Season with the salt & pepper.
3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Pour the soup into bowls and top with a slice of truffle bread and a handful of grated gruyere cheese and parmesan. Place the soup on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and brown.
4. Garnish with parsley and enjoy with the soup is hot.

source: french onion soup.