Prosecco and French onion soup

[PZ]

This was a new treat for us - French onion soup from a Laura Calder recipe. Accompanied by prosecco chilled in a snow bank, it was perfect

[spoiler text=Wonderful winter treat]It was very cold outside so the snow bank super chilled the sparkling wine to the point where releasing the cork allowed spontaneous ice crystal formation in the wine. Into the mouth, it melted instantly after giving a burst of coldness. We placed grapefruit supremes into the glass, then a generous spoonful of thyme infused simple syrup. What a simple, yet elegant drink.
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The soup was savory and sweet - I used caramelized onions prepared the day before as a base. Then topped with Parmesan bread loaded with melted Gruyere
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[/spoiler]

[Art Blade]

You manage to make me want to eat even if I'm already full short of bursting.

Looking NICE

[PZ]

 

Thanks, AB 

[Dweller_Benthos]

I like a good French onion soup, but usually, at least to my taste, the ones I've had are way too salty. Not sure if that's part of the way it's made or just something that most places do because a lot of people think salt = flavorful.

[PZ]

I think you're right, D_B - restaurants typically use lots of salt I guess because lots of people have salt cravings.  We don't eat out that much because we make way better food at home.

[Art Blade]

I know onion soup that is more on the sweet than the salty side.

And I really don't get it how people can mistake SALTY for spicy or anything else but salty. I use next to no salt except when it is actually necessary, like for dough. If you have ever tasted bread someone forgot to use salt when making it, YUCK. Might as well eat cardboard.

[PZ]

Oh yes - salt is needed for bread 

[Dweller_Benthos]

Exactly, I used to go to a place called Panera because they have pretty good sandwiches, and bake their own bread. But the last time I went, the bread itself was so salty I had a hard time finishing it and ended up eating the chicken and veggies and leaving most of the bread. Not sure if that was just a mistake that day or if they changed the way they make it. I should go back some time and see.

[PZ]

Maybe they should advertise as "Mistake of the day" rather than "Special of the day" 

[Art Blade]

hehe 

that assumption that maybe "they changed the way they make it" reminds me of what happened to me. My butcher used to sell beef tenderloin, with a coating of coarsely ground black pepper, cut to Chateaubriand steaks. I loved it. You may already know that I usually don't use salt which is particularly true when preparing steak. Olive oil, fresh thyme or rosemary and garlic, freshly ground black pepper, that's it. However, one day, I almost choked on that steak as the taste was.. not from my cooking. It tasted as if it had been marinaded with stuff I don't like and for some reason it was salty. I thought, "I must have made some weird mistake maybe with the oil." The next time it happened again, that time I again noticed how salty it was. Not sure whether that was just another mistake on their end that day or they changed the way they make it. So I asked them. Indeed, they had changed something. I never bought that disgusting stuff again.

[PZ]

Here when the groceries sell pre-seasoned meats it is usually because the meats are close to their expiration date for freshness.  Their technique is to pull the close to expiration meats off the shelves, coat them with some kind of rub or other seasoning, place it in attractive packaging and sell it at an even higher than original price (even though the meat is old). Some stores even got into trouble for taking their expired meats, seasoning them and then used that as an excuse for "resetting the expiration clock"

[Art Blade]

I know that my butcher prepares his stuff on a daily basis and you can tell even the pepper-coated stuff was good quality, I am not worried about that. Perhaps because we have VERY strict laws regarding food, they'd be closed down so fast.. plus, that shop takes pride in having really good quality. That's why I keep buying my stuff there.

[PZ]

 

[Art Blade]

come to think of it, it is sad how they replaced fresh ground pepper with some crappy marinade that came in a ground pepper disguise -- it looked the same but man, it was disgusting 

[PZ]

There is no substitute for fresh pure ingredients.