Pickled Red Onions

There are condiments and then there are condiments. There are store bought condiments and then there are homemade condiments. If you have never had (homemade) pickled onions on top of an egg salad sandwich, on top of a bite of pate, on a fish taco, in a salad, or on a burger, you haven't lived. Yes, I know this may sound a little dramatic, but your palate is missing out on a seriously delicious taste of drama. And if you have eaten but have never made pickled onions before, you might be surprised to learn how easy it is to make something I would call the game changer condiment.

In the weeks ahead when you will most likely be eating more egg salad sandwiches than normal (all of those hard boiled Easter eggs need to be put to good use) or grilling outside more frequently (especially by those 'non-grill outside year round diehards'), you will definitely want pickled onions to be 'the' must-have, must-serve condiment on your table. I will show my pickled onion bias and just say you will definitely want Pickled Red Onions as your 'house' condiment. In the onion world, not all onions were created equal.

A few months ago I indulged myself and bought a new knife, a knife I never had before, a Shun knife. This is the sharpest knife I have ever owned and one that had me a little intimidated when I used it the first time. Am I being redundant when I say this knife is sharp or I am just trying to let you know that this isn't your ordinary knife? Okay, yes I know I am asking a rhetorical question here. But fear not all of this talk of sharpness, as I have learned to respect this knife as well as greatly appreciate its' ability to slice vegetables so perfectly one can't help but feel you are channeling an inner five-star restaurant chef when you are using it.

Two large red onions are peeled and then very thinly sliced crosswise so that you end up with beautiful rounds of onion.

Either before or after the onions are sliced, you will mix together the red wine vinegar, cold water, Kosher salt, sugar, and a few dashes of hot sauce. This mixture is then poured over the thinly sliced red onions. The pickling process does not take long but the pickling flavor is enhanced the longer you allow the red onions to marinate. At a minimum you should allow the red onions to marinate for one hour (not a minute less) before using or serving. But if you can wait a little longer and allow the red onions to marinate overnight, your patience will be rewarded. Isn't patience almost always rewarded?

I usually allow the red onions to marinate in the bowl for an hour before transferring them to covered jars. This recipe makes enough for two half-liter jars, one to keep and one to give to a friend as a gift. It just might be one of the best gifts you can give to a friend, particularly if they are ones who love pickled red onions.

Recipe
Pickled Red Onions

Ingredients
2 large red onions, sliced thinly
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup cold water
4 Tablespoons Kosher salt
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
4-6 dashes of hot sauce (recommend Cholula Hot Sauce)

Directions
1. In a small bowl, mix together the vinegar, water, Kosher salt, sugar and hot sauce. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, place thinly sliced red onions. Pour vinegar mixture over. Stir gently.
3. Allow onions to marinate for at least one hour before using. (Note: Onions are even better pickled when allowed to marinate overnight in the refrigerator.)

It has been years since I went to the monthly antique/flea market near where I now live. The fairgrounds where the market is held have been renovated over the years resulting in a smaller number of booths and tables to take in. However, there are still enough dealers there to keep one there walking for hours. And so on Sunday my best childhood friend and I walked the market for hours looking for treasures we either needed or didn't (sometimes its' finding the things you didn't think you needed as are much fun as finding as the ones you really did need). I went to the market with a mental list of those things I 'needed'. Having a list sounds like a good plan but it isn't always a good thing for me as I can become so focused on looking only for those things that I don't see anything else. I mean I see them, but I don't see them. In other words I see only what I want to because I can filter everything else out. Which honestly, describes how I can sometimes 'want' to see the world and everyone in it. We all do this to some extent, either we over focus on the positive and minimize the negative or over focus on the negative and minimize the positive.

Being objective is usually easier when you are not invested in something or someone. And it is definitely a little harder when you are. Like walking through an antique/flea market, having either tunnel vision or being distracted by little things, you could miss something, something important, or something (or someone) you might need (but didn't know you did). And if you ever walked down the condiment aisle in the grocery store and saw pickled onions and thought 'don't need or want them', well maybe the time has come for you to reconsider your opinion of them. Only I would suggest you pick up the ingredients for making them. And you might just experience the euphoria that comes with experiencing something you really didn't think you needed (or wanted).

Bacon Deviled Eggs

I must confess something here. I have always viewed the making of deviled eggs as 'difficult'. While I am one who usually does not like 'difficult' to get the best of me, from my perspective there were just too many devils (in the details) in the making of these eggs. Up until now that is. The tipping point for the making of these deviled eggs isn't because Easter is around the corner, nor is it because I have several dozen eggs in the refrigerator. No, the reason for the making of these eggs is because of a texted photo of deviled eggs sent by one of my friends while she having dinner in a restaurant. I can't really explain why that photo was enough to get me to overcome my trepidation of the making of deviled eggs, but let's just say I was grateful for the inspiration.

There are many versions of deviled egg recipes out there. They differ in both ingredients and in technique. The inspiration for these Bacon Deviled Eggs came from the cookbook Bon Appetit Y'all. Not so much for the ingredients but for the technique. By just reading this recipe all of the angst I had created for myself over the making of deviled eggs seemed to disappear and simultaneously made me wonder why I had been avoiding making them. It was that simple. So for all of you who have both known and unknown reasons preventing you from making deviled eggs, let me push you to think differently.

I chose to top these deviled eggs with bacon, but the topping possibilities are endless. For some added variety a chunk of cooked lobster, a slice of avocado, or crisped prosciutto would go perfect with this deviled egg recipe. So depending on when and who you are serving these to, you just might find yourself making them often. Two dozen eggs will yield 24 bites of deliciousness at a brunch, at a cocktail party or at a holiday gathering.

In a heavy saucepan, a dozen large eggs are covered with cold water (the cold water should cover the eggs by an inch). After the water is brought to a boil, remove from the heat, top with a lid and allow to rest for 12 minutes. Once the twelve minutes has lapsed, drain the warm water and fill the pan with cold water to allow the eggs to cool. I don't know where I read that (or maybe made this up) by laying eggs on their sides for at least a day before making the hardboiled eggs, the ring of white will be more evenly distributed. Whether this is a myth or culinary secret, it worked. And always to remember to use eggs that you have had in your refrigerator for at least a week (versus immediately using ones you bring home from the grocery store or farmers market).

When I have made hard boiled eggs in the past I have struggled with removing the shells without removing any of the white. But I am happy to share that this will not happen anymore. Why? Well it's all in how you crack and remove the shells. First tap the egg on the counter until it is crackled all over. Then gently roll the egg in your hands to loosen the shell from the egg. You can then peel under cool running water or peel on a cutting board, rinsing the peeled egg when finished so no bits of shell remain.

The traditional way of slicing eggs for deviled eggs is slicing them lengthwise. For a chance of pace you can certainly cut them in half crosswise.

After you carefully remove the yolks, place them in a fine mesh strainer pressing with the back of a spoon until all of the egg yolks have gone through the strainer. This process makes for a much creamier filling and it is definitely not a step to skip. Remember, the devil (of these eggs) is in the details.

To the strained eggs you will add the mayonnaise, dijon mustard, white pepper, sea salt and room temperature unsalted butter. Yes, there are two tablespoons of room temperature unsalted butter in this mixture. Not only does it make for a creamier, tastier egg filling, it balances out the flavors. Once you have blended this mixture until smooth, stir in the freshly chopped herbs. Chives are my favorites as I love their mild onion taste.

You really only need two slices of a thick cut bacon fried crisp, however, you might want to fry up three slices so you can reward yourself for making these deviled eggs for your family and friends.

Using a pastry bag fitted with a star tip, fill each of the egg halves. If you don't have a pastry bag or any of the pastry tips, you can always use a ziploc bag and cut one of the corners to create your own pastry bag.

Top each of the finished deviled eggs with a piece of the crispy bacon. Serve over a bed of arugula or in one of those deviled egg platters. Even though I have one of those deviled egg platters, I love the look of serving these deviled eggs sitting on a bed of arugula. And what I love even more is that I no longer think of making deviled eggs as something difficult.

Recipe
Bacon Deviled Eggs (inspired by the Deviled Eggs recipe in Bon Appetit Y'all)

Ingredients
1 dozen large eggs
1/3 cup plus 1 Tablespoon mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 Tablespoon dijon mustard (recommend Maille)
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
pinch of sea salt
2 Tablespoons of freshly chopped chives (or tarragon or chervil)
3 slices of thick cut bacon, fried crisp

Directions
1. Place eggs in heavy saucepan. Fill pan with cold water, covering eggs with one inch of water.
2. Bring water to a boil. Remove pan, cover and allow to sit for 12 minutes.
3. Drain eggs and place cooked eggs in a cool water bath. Allow eggs to cool completely before cutting.
4. Tap shells gently on counter all over to crackle it. Gently roll egg between your hands to loosen the shell. Peel while holding egg under running cool water.
5. Slice eggs in half lengthwise. Carefully remove yolks, placing in a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl.
6. Press egg yolks through strainer.
7. Blend yolks, mayonnaise, butter, dijon mustard, white pepper and pinch of sea salt. Blend until smooth. Stir in chopped chives.
8. Place mixture in a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe yolk mixture into halves of the whites.
9. Top each finished egg with a piece of crisp bacon.
10. Serve immediately on a platter of arugula (or on deviled egg platter) or cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Sometimes our perceptions are skewed even though we might think we are seeing things clearly. Like my perception that making deviled eggs was difficult, I have had a few other perceptions that were misguided. Recently I began going to the local yoga studio. 'Doing' yoga was a first for me. After the first time I went, I wondered what and why yoga was something that didn't interest me before. Well I didn't need to spend to much time wondering because I knew why. I was making a decision about yoga based on my (mis)perceptions. Have you ever really asked yourself why you are outright rejecting or dismissing something without ever trying it? And if your answers are 'I tried it once, didn't like or enjoy it', 'been there, done that, can't do it' or 'ah it's not for me', you should ask yourself just how invested or committed you were to the 'try'. There is a reason the old adage 'all things are hard before they are easy' was created. Persistence, commitment, and the willingness to invest time and energy all play a role in how we ultimately come to view some things. It is always easier to walk away from something when it feels 'hard' or when it feels like a 'difference' we don't know how to manage.

If I stopped my attempt at running years many ago (when I couldn't get a handle on my breathing, when the inclines in the road felt steep mountain trails), I would have never run a marathon. More important, I would have never experienced the exhilaration I felt from the experience as well as the change that occurred in me as a result of the experience. The running thing did not come easy for me and it would have been easy to walk away from it (no pun intended) when it felt 'hard'. The thing is we don't really know how different our life or we can be when or if we 'give up' or 'don't try' or 'think we know'. Like the texted photo of a platter of deviled eggs, there are all sorts of tipping points out there trying to get us to shift our perceptions. We only have to be open to seeing them.

Roasted Pepper Salad, Goat Cheese and Grilled Bread

Last weekend included an excursion to Eataly, an Italian food emporium like none other here in the states (Lidia Bastianich and Mario Batali are just two of the talented individuals responsible for bringing it to Chicago). For me, Eataly has become a place of inspiration (and if I only had my own wood fired oven who knows what bread and pizza making possibilities would be in my future). From the wines, to the cheeses, to the meats, to the pastas, to the pizzas, to the breads, all I can say is that when I leave there my head is usually spinning (and not from drinking too much wine). Although Italian foods and cooking are not in my heritage, they are at the top of my culinary list of preferences.

I have been making roasted red peppers marinated in extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar and served with goat cheese on bread for years. As much as I absolutely love the simplicity of this roasted pepper recipe, I could not help but wonder if I would like even more a version containing Sicilian olives, anchovies, capers, and fresh rosemary created by Mario Batali and Dave Pasternack. Well the only way to satisfy this curiosity was to make it. And what I learned was that I loved both my simple version and what I will call this more rustic version of a roasted pepper salad.

Although the recipe called for two red peppers and two yellow peppers, I decided to use one yellow and one orange pepper (just because) in addition to two red peppers. But whether you use only red and yellow peppers or mix up the pepper choices just do not use green peppers as they are not as sweet.

There are many ways to roast peppers (on the grill, in the oven, or over an open flame), however, I have always leaned toward roasting them on the grill. If there was ever a reason to buy a gas grill, roasting peppers year round would be just one of them. After the peppers have been charred on all sides transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap (or place in a brown paper bag and seal tightly). Once the peppers have cooled slightly, you can peel away the skins and remove the seeds.

Resist the temptation to rinse the peppers when you are peeling and slicing them as rinsing them removes much of their incredible flavor. The peeled peppers should be sliced into quarter inch strips.

Cracked Sicilian olives, drained capers, freshly chopped rosemary and anchovies are mixed into the sliced peppers. In a separate bowl mix together 2 Tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and 4 to 5 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Pour the vinegar-oil over the pepper mixture and stir to combine. Add sea salt and pepper to taste. Allow the roasted pepper salad to marinate at least one hour (but up to several hours) before serving with softened goat cheese and sliced grilled bread. Either a country Italian loaf or baguette works well with this salad. And whatever you do, don't forget to serve with some red wine.

Recipe

Roasted Pepper Salad, Goat Cheese and Grilled Bread (inspired by a recipe for Anchovy and Roasted Pepper Salad with Goat Cheese created by Mario Batali and Dave Pasternack)

Ingredients
2 large red bell peppers
2 large yellow or orange peppers (or combination of both)
10 cracked Sicilian green olives
6 oil-packed anchovy fillets, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons capers, drained
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 to 5 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Italian Country Loaf or baguette sliced and grilled
1 large garlic clove, peeled
8 ounces goat cheese softened

Directions
1. Roast peppers on a gas grill, over an open flame or in the broiler until charred all over. 
2. Transfer roasted peppers to glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap (or place in a brown paper bag sealed tight) and allow to cool.
3. Peel charred skin from cooled peppers, remove seeds and stems and cut into quarter inch strips.
4. In a bowl, combine the olives, anchovies, capers, rosemary and peppers. Set aside.
5. Mix together balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Pour over pepper mixture and stir until blended. Season with sea salt and pepper. Allow to marinate at least one hour at room temperature before serving.
6. Grill bread until lightly charred and crisp. Rub each bread slice with a garlic clove and drizzle with olive oil.
7. Serve roasted pepper salad and softened goat cheese with grilled bread.

After enduring the winter's brutal polar vortex it was nice to be able to experience and remember what sun and warmth felt like. The icing on the proverbial cake of this little vacation was being able to spend time with a very good friend who recently moved to Arizona, permanently. I am fortunate to have some really good friends in my life who are aware and accepting of my quirkiness as well as know me well enough to know the kinds of things I get immense pleasure from. Things like taking in and photographing the historic parts of cities and towns (even when that means standing in the middle of the road to take a photo) and going to restaurants serving great food and/or having great ambiance (when you can take in amazing views food seems to taste even better). Shopping is on the favorite things to do list, however, this was not a shopping trip (probably a good thing although I did manage to find a piece of jewelry I couldn't live without at a street fair).

Being able to spend time in a town or city with someone who knows their way around just makes the experience all the better, all the more memorable. Although there has to come a point when going to the same places over and over again (but with different guests) can get a little old unless, of course, you find redundancy to be a good thing. And you know you have a really good friend when they take you to places they have been before (numerous times), but want you to have the experience of seeing them for the first (and sometimes even for the second) time. And you know you have a really, really great friend when the experiences they plan or places they take you are more about you than they are about them.

Sweet New England Cornbread

Every time I open up the basket of bread brought to a table in a restaurant I secretly hope it will contain some freshly baked cornbread. There is something so comforting about eating some warm homemade cornbread slathered in a bit of butter or honey that I find myself craving it more often than I would like to admit. It is probably the choices of restaurants I frequent, but this hope of mine is usually a tad unrealistic (I have yet to come across an Italian or French restaurant serving a basket of cornbread).

The author of The Cornbread Gospels discovered after six years of research there are more than 200 versions of cornbread recipes. It should not be surprising that the cornbread preferences and recipes differ nationally and globally. Nationally the differences between cornbread preferences in the north and south are significant. Southern-style cornbread is made with very little sugar, while the northern-style cornbread is discernibly sweeter (as much as I am partial to certain regions of the south, I definitely skew to cornbread on the sweeter side).

Until I came across a recipe for Sweet New England Cornbread in Yankee Magazine I really didn't have a corn bread recipe I was crazy for. I can now go on record and say I finally have a deliriously delicious cornbread recipe. I no longer have to secretly wish for a basket of warm homemade cornbread brought to a table in a restaurant, because I can now satisfy that need at home.

Is it just me or do others go to grocery stores to seek out need local ingredients to bring back home when vacationing or visiting new places? On my list of the things I absolutely had to bring back from the east coast was some local stone ground yellow and white corn meal for pie and crostata crusts I was planning on making in the weeks and months ahead. It wasn't as if I needed another reason to buy some cornmeal, but coming across the recipe for New England cornbread using stone ground yellow corn meal only served to further reaffirm why I just had to bring back some with me. Food as a kind of souvenirs, who else imagines such things?

With the exception of stone ground cornmeal all of the ingredients for this cornbread are probably in your refrigerator or cupboards. This could not be a more simple recipe and one that comes together in less than 40 minutes (from beginning to end).

The flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder and salt are whisked together in a medium sized bowl. In a separate smaller bowl, the eggs are lightly whisked before the milk and melted butter are mixed in.

The wet ingredients are poured over the dry ingredients and folded in until just combined. There will be lumps, do not worry. If you over mix this, then you can worry.

In a nine inch square pan lined with parchment paper that has been buttered or sprayed with vegetable spray, the batter is poured in. 

The cornbread is baked in a preheated 425 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean. My baking time was 20 minutes.

This cornbread is over the top delicious served warm out of the oven, however, it retains its' deliciousness even when served warm temperature. If you are looking to make your family and friends have a faint of heart cornbread eating experience, serve it to them warm with a side of butter or honey.

 Recipe
Sweet New England Cornbread (adaptation of Yankee Magazine's Sweet New England Cornbread recipe)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (recommend King Arthur)
1 cup stone-ground (medium grind) cornmeal (recommend Kenyon's Stone Ground Yellow Cornmeal) 
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cups whole milk (or 2 %)

Note: The type of cornmeal used will alter the texture of the cornbread. A medium grind corn meal will yield a cornbread with a pleasant crunch while a finely ground cornmeal will yield a lighter in texture cornbread).

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a 9 inch square baking pan (line with parchment paper and spray or butter).
2. Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, lightly whisk eggs. Whisk in milk and melted butter.
4. Pour dry ingredients over wet ingredients and fold just until combined (do not over mix).
5. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 20-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven.
6. Serve warm or at room temperature with butter and/or honey.

I was able to get a small dose of the east coast last weekend as I traveled to Rhode Island to visit some friends. During some of my discretionary alone time I sought to capture as many of my favorite images as possible, keeping my fingers crossed that the backdrop for all of my photos would be a beautiful blue New England sky (not that gray isn't a good color, there is just something special about the color blue). Whether or not my finger crossing had anything to do with influencing the color of the sky, the shades of blue were absolutely beautiful, the kind of energizing beautiful that makes you want to pinch yourself.

Of the many things I love about New England are its' diverse landscapes, each one of them having their own mesmerizing beauty. In a very small square mile radius you can view the ocean, historic homes, farms, vineyards, and wildlife (the kind of beauty that would make you never want to leave, except of course to live near the mountains).

The wind coming off the ocean on the day I tried to capture some images of the water was so wicked I had to keep going back into the car to warm my fingers (taking photos with gloves wasn't working too well). But enduring the icy cold ocean wind was a small, insignificant price to pay for being able to take in and capture the water, the waves, and the rocks that were illuminated by the sun. On the day I was out taking photos in the town I had lived for the past couple of years, the weather was crisp, sunny and still with the skies remaining blue. They were both 'be still my heart' photographing moments.

If you looked at my camera you would find many similar images to the ones I had taken this past weekend. And even though it may seem to some there is little diversity in the landscape photos I take (although anyone thinking this would not have a very good eye), the color of the sky, weather and the seasons makes each of them unique. So whether I stood in the same place everyday for a year taking a photo of the same landscape no two would be the same. I have always wondered why I am so drawn to taking photos of landscapes (versus photos of people). Whatever the reason I hope I never tire of my passion for trying to capture some of nature's beauty. Because if one gives up trying on anything or anyone they are passionate about/for, one never knows what they might miss out on.

French Onion Soup

I don't know about you but I remember 'firsts'. I may momentarily forget the name of an author of a book I just read or not remember if there is brown sugar in the pantry, but firsts, well they seem to be permanently etched in my memory. However, truth me told there are a few firsts I would like to permanently forget. But definitely not on the first forget list was my first taste of French Onion Soup. It could not have been in a more memorable location, the restaurant on the breath taking grounds of the Domaine Chandon Vineyard in Yountville, California on a beautiful sunny November day more than twenty-five years ago (I could probably be specific as to the actual year but I like being in a state of semi-denial with regard to my age). The experience the tastes of French Onion Soup covered in melted gruyere cheese and a glass of Champagne on my palate could only be described as pure bliss.

What is not to love about a soup originating in the kitchens of 18th century France? For some reason many of us don't think of French Onion Soup as peasant food (it was). Maybe because caramelized onions, a rich beef or chicken stock and gruyere cheese don't seem anything like common ingredients. Yet, indeed onions, beef stock and cheese easily and magically transform into something extraordinary. A timeless, classic dish. If you have been reluctant to make this classic soup, it is time to get over your hesitation and trepidation. And if making French Onion Soup for the 'first' time, it should prove to be a memorable not forgettable experience. Or in other words a first worth repeating.

In the compilation of Julia Child's 100 most beloved recipes, French Onion Soup (Soupe a l'Oignon) ranked 88. Not that one needs a reason to make any one of Julia Child's 3,700 recipes, but why make anyone else's version of French Onion Soup?

One and a half pounds or about 5 cups of yellow onions (not enough to bring tears to your eyes as you cut them) are thinly sliced. Four relatively large yellow onions yielded a little more than 1.5 pounds of sliced onions. I decided to go with the weighing on the scale versus the measuring in the measuring cup method.

In a deep heavy saucepan melt three tablespoons of unsalted butter with one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. When the butter has melted, add the sliced onions. Cover the pan and on a low heat cook for 15 minutes. The onions will have wilted beautifully but will not yet begin to take on any color. Add one teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar (Julia recommended 1/4 teaspoon of sugar), raise the heat to moderate and cook for 35 to 45 minutes or until the onions have turned an even, golden brown color. You will need to stir these onions frequently to ensure they do not burn. I found the caramelization process was a little easier if the pan was partially covered with the lid. Just remember, you cannot walk away from this phase of the cooking process. The caramelization of the onions is where the depth of flavor is developed. Be patient, you will be rewarded.

Once the onions have caramelized, stir in three tablespoons of flour and stir for 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and slowly add in the half cup of white wine. The wine helps to deglaze the pan and removes all of those wonderful bits of flavor from the bottom of the pan. Add in the 7-8 cups (Julia recommended the full 8 cups) of boiling beef stock and season to taste. Go easy on the salt as you will increase the saltiness of the soup when you add the cheese later on. With the pan partially cover, return the pan to the stove and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes.

The perfect time to make the croutons is while the soup is simmering. In a 325 degree preheated oven, place 1/4 to 1 inch slices of french bread on a baking sheet and roast for up to 30 minutes or until they have completely dried out and lightly browned.

Julia's recipe calls for 1 to 2 cups of grated swiss cheese. I love the nuttiness of gruyere cheese so this is what I used. You can also use a combination of swiss and parmesan cheeses or a combination of gruyere and comte cheeses.

Before ladling the soup into bowls, add the three tablespoons of Cognac (you will not be sorry, actually you will be sorry if you don't). If you don't have Cognac you can use French Brandy. And if you don't have either, well this would be a reason to buy some.

Once the soup is ladled into the bowls add a tablespoon of grated cheese to each one and stir until it has melted.

Top each bowl of soup with three or four croutons. Top each crouton with the a small dab of butter before sprinkling on the grated cheese. Place the soup filled oven proof bowls in a 325 degree oven and bake for 20 minutes. Set the bowls under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes in order to lightly brown the top. Serve and enjoy. 

This French Onion Soup is a first course or a meal all by itself (maybe along with a small salad, some wine and, of course, a little more bread). 

Recipe
French Onion Soup (adaptation of Julia Child's Soupe a l'Oignon Gratinee in Volume One of Mastering the Art of French Cooking)
Serves 6-8

Ingredients
1 1/2 - 2 pounds thinly sliced yellow onions (about 3 to 4 large onions)
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
6-7 cups of beef stock (homemade or a good quality store bought stock)
1/2 cup dry white wine
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 Tablespoons of Cognac or French Brandy (optional but highly recommend)
Rounds of a tasted baguette or sliced artisan bread
8-10 ounces finely grated Swiss cheese (recommend Gruyere cheese) 
4 ounces freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
additional softened butter

Directions
1. Place sliced onions in a heavy saucepan with three tablespoons of melted butter and one tablespoon of olive oil. Cover pan and cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes until the onions are tender and translucent.
2. Add 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of granulated sugar to onions, increase heat to moderate and cook onions for 35 to 45 minutes (until onions are a deep golden brown).
3. Add 3 tablespoons of flour to onion mixture and continue cooking for 3 minutes.
4. Remove pan from heat and add 1/2 cup white wine slowly, stirring to scrap up the caramelized bits of onion on bottom of pan. Pour in 7 to 8 cups of boiling beef stock. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Return soup mixture to stove and simmer for another 30-40 minutes.
6. Optional: Add three tablespoons of cognac (or French Brandy) to soup. Ladle soup into four to six soup bowls.
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
8. Add one tablespoon of grated Swiss cheese in each bowl, stir until cheese has melted.
9. Top each bowl with three to four croutons or a slice of a toasted piece of artisan bread. Generously top with the grated cheese. Lightly drizzle some olive oil over the top.
10. Place soup bowls on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes in the 350 degree preheated oven.
11. Optional: Add another tablespoon of grated cheese to soup bowls and place under broiler for 1-2 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. Serve and enjoy!!

Recipe and Photos Updated March, 2020

I have been in the (ugh) learning curve in the last week, more specifically a (double ugh) physical learning curve, which for me is much more challenging than an intellectual one. Not to infer that I consider myself smart (yes I have the doctorate book smarts, yet the jury is still out on the common sense smarts), however I would with a rather high degree of confidence characterize myself as a bit of a wimp (in my world wimp means my head convinces my body to give up sometimes more often or sooner than it should). But the time finally came for me to change my wimp status, thus explaining why I got myself into this initially difficult (hard on my ego) learning curve status.

For years I have heard other speak (in a somewhat zealous sort of way) of the benefits yoga has on one's mind, soul and body (aren't we sometimes just a little skeptical of those who speak with about anything with such intensity). But then again who does not want this holy trinity functioning at high levels? Getting my body to shift from being tight and inflexible to loose and flexible is temporarily getting in the way of experiencing that trifecta. I don't know where this 'first' exposure to and experience with yoga will ultimately take my mind, spirit or body (hopefully to a place of great balance). However, as much as I am looking forward to this journey, I can hardly to wait to forget what the initial 'first' exposure feels like.