Valentine’s Day is nearly upon us, and with Valentine’s Day falling on a Friday, here’s a simple, rustic meal to make ahead, and have at the ready after work or a busy week.
On the menu is French onion soup, topped with toasted French bread topped with melted cheese, which makes it a meal in itself.
For dessert, something chocolate, of course. My pick is flourless chocolate lava cakes, which can be prepared ahead, and popped in the oven while you’re eating dinner.
If you make and refrigerate the unbaked flourless chocolate lava cakes ahead of time, make sure you remove the ramekins from the refrigerator as you begin preparing dinner, so they’re at room temperature when you put them in the oven.
French Onion Soup
French onion soup is one of those dishes by which I judge a restaurant, much as I judge a restaurant by its ability to make perfect scrambled eggs; not runny, no charred places.
The perfect French onion soup should be flavorful, and not watery. The onions should have been caramelized, and in small enough pieces that they’re not dangling like earthworms from spoons. The toasted bread/cheese topping is one of the most important parts, and must not be so thick that it monopolizes the bowl.
Classic photos of French onion soup often show the bubbly cheese that’s melted down the sides of the crockery, which looks authentic and is fun to peel off and eat. But it’s tricky — bordering on dangerous — to deliver and remove a wobbly baking sheet to and from the broiler with precarious bowls of molten, sloshy soup, keep it level and get it to and from a flat surface without spillage and burns.
If you’re cool and confident with the above-mentioned method, then go for it. Me? I have numerous permanent scars from memorable cooking mishaps, such as when I once intentionally caught –with the inside of my left forearm — an entire tray of lasagna ramekins that were starting to shift, rather than allow the tray and the ramekins to hit the floor. Now, I’m more of a better-safe-than-seared cook, and have developed a three-step cheater way to skip broiling French onion soup bowls in the oven.
Step 1: Make the soup. Step 2: Prepare the cheese-topped toasted bread. Step 3: Ladle the hot soup into the bowls, then float the prepared cheese bread on top. I’ll explain more in the recipe.
One thing about French onion soup is that although it is extremely, insanely easy, in a peasanty kind of way, easy doesn’t mean quick. French onion soup requires at least a hour of onion stirring for the onions to reach that necessary rich, caramelized stage. You can’t rush it.
Also, you’ll note that the French onion soup is broth-based. If you happen to have chicken and beef stock in your freezer, then three cheers for you. But if not, there is zero shame in using store-bought broth and stock.
Take it slow, make it ahead, put it away for later in the freezer or refrigerator, and you’ll have a perfect soup for not just Valentine’s Day, but any day. Bon appetit!
French Onion Soup
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup olive oil
8 large yellow onions
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon flour
2/3 cup either sherry, dry white wine, vermouth and/or brandy
6 cups chicken broth
3 cups beef broth
Fresh herbs in a tea ball or cheese cloth, to keep the herbs from floating in the soup (I like bay leaf, tarragon, thyme, a little sage and rosemary)
Freshly ground pepper and salt, to taste
French bread
A combination of Gruyere, fontina, or Swiss cheeses are classic. But Parmesan, provolone, mozzarella and even Monterey Jack cheeses are fine, too.
Peel and slice the onions into 1/4-inch rounds. Cut the rounds in half. (Makes for easier eating, without long, limp onions dangling from spoons and mouths.)
In a big, deep pot, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium heat.
Add the onions and turn the heat down a bit, so the onions are sweating and cooking, but not burning. Add the sugar and stir constantly. At this stage, you’ll want to cook the onions very slowly to achieve a rich caramel color. Stir often to keep from sticking, and to ensure even browning. Scrape the bottom and sides of the pot often.
The onions should brown nicely (and will reduce dramatically in volume). This could take more than an hour. Don’t rush it. Don’t freak if you notice a build-up of brown bits. These golden brown bits and pieces will make the soup taste better later.
Sprinkle the flour over the onions, and stir some more until the flour is absorbed.
Pour 2 cups of water into the pot and turn up the heat a little. With a wooden spoon, scrape the pot to “clean” the brown film from the bottom of the pot. Keep cooking as you do this. (This is called “deglazing” and is a great way to keep flavor in a soup or sauce, and it also makes cleaning the pot easier, later.)
The onions should be quite dark by now. Add the sherry, white wine, or whatever alcohol you wish. A word about the booze. Martha Stewart favors sherry and brandy, while Julia Child likes vermouth. I prefer vermouth, brandy, and a little white wine. If you want to skip the alcohol, no worries. It will still taste delicious without it.
Cook and stir for a few minutes. Add the chicken and beef broths. Scrape the bottom of the pot again, to make sure nothing’s clinging to the bottom. Toss in the bundle/ball of herbs.
Turn up the heat and bring the soup to a low simmer for about half an hour.
As the soup is simmering, turn your attention to the bread:
Slice into 1/2-inch pieces whatever number of bread slices you need that will fit comfortably inside the bowls. I prefer two pieces of small bread instead of one large bread island that hogs up all the surface space in the bowl.
Butter each slice with softened or melted butter.
Place all the bread slices on a baking sheet. (Anticipate leftovers, and make more cheese/bread slices for later.) Place the sheet in the oven on a low broil, until the bread slices are light brown.
Note: I like to first toast the plain bread in the oven without the cheese, so later it won’t get too soggy when it’s introduced to the hot soup.
Remove the toasted French bread slices from the oven, and now top each slice with the grated cheeses. Return the tray to the broiler, watching carefully to ensure the cheese doesn’t burn. Remove the pan from the oven when the cheese toasts are golden brown. Set aside.
Back to the soup: Taste the soup. If it’s too strong, add some boiling water. If it’s too “thin” tasting, add more broth. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Remove the herb bundle.
At this stage you can either refrigerate the soup for whenever you want, or you can eat it immediately.
When ready to eat, ladle the hot soup into the bowls. Place the toasted bread with the melted cheese on top. Cut more plain French bread to serve with the soup. Voila! French onion soup.
Valentine’s Day without chocolate is just Friday.
There are a few wonderful things about this recipe. First, it’s flourless, which is a rare find among dessert recipes. Second, they’re cute, and who doesn’t like cute food? Third, they’re easy and delicious. And last, for our purposes for this make-ahead Valentine’s Day dinner, they may be prepared through the batter stage, then placed unbaked in their oven-proof containers and refrigerated until a few hours before dinner.
Do bear in mind that because they’re lava cakes, it’s important to not overbake them, as the interiors are meant to be somewhat, well, lava-like, rather than cupcake-like.
Flourless Chocolate Lava Cakes
1 1/4 sticks of unsalted butter
5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
5 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, plus 4 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 tablespoon coffee liqueur (or another alcohol, or none)
Butter and coat with granulated sugar 8 4-ounce ramekins or other small oven-proof cups or bowls. Set aside.
In microwave or over a double-boiler, melt together the solid chocolate and butter. Stir until smooth and blended. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder and salt. Add the melted chocolate mixture to the dry ingredients and stir well.
Add the eggs, yolks and liqueur and whisk gently until all the ingredients are incorporated.
Scoop about 1/2 cup of batter into each ramekin. (Of course, less if you’re making tiny cakes.)
At this point, if you’re not ready to bake the cakes for a few days, you may cover the ramekins with plastic and refrigerate. Otherwise, proceed with baking.
Place ramekins on a baking sheet. In a preheated, 375-degree oven, bake the lava cakes for about 16 to 20 minutes, or until the lava cakes are set, have shiny crusts on top, and may be beginning to crack. Do not overbake.
Cool slightly for a few minutes. Run sharp knife around the edge of each ramekin and invert cake onto a small plate, quickly invert, right-side up, onto serving plates. (Use a towel or a hot pad to protect your hands.)
Or, leave the lava cakes inside the ramekins or cups, and serve with the lava cakes inside the containers. They’re best when served warm.
Dust with powdered sugar. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
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