Coco Chanel and Soupe A L’Oignon - Never Out of Fashion

“Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury”. Well, I guess she was right. She learned about luxury the “difficult way”. Born to an unmarried mother “Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel” or famously known as “Coco Chanel” was a smart and a self made woman. Thanks to her smartness and a penchant for comfort, women around the world were relieved of those “breathtaking” corset. Her father sent her to a convent where she learnt this art of sewing and those days at convent had an impact on her future projects. Though she fell in love with French, Russian, German and English men - the best of them - her first and last love remained ‘fashion’. She started with Hats and then implemented revolutionary ideas in the field of fashion.

Let it be Chanel No 5 or the Little Black Dress, she sure was upto something. Her one concept which I love is of Costume Jewellery. Wear one or two expensive jewels, then add a lot of imitation jewels over it- cheap thrills for me (tight lipped smile). And yes, one more thing, she was supposedly a Nazi spy. She had her “dances” and those who knew her, saw those impeccable moves. Now here is the part where food enters. She was a French who struggled her way to the top and and today Chanel is one of the leading fashion brands. There is one more thing from France which has been on top for quite a long time now and will stay too - Soupe A L’Oignon. I love French recipes. This classic French Onion Soup will sure hit the right spot.

Ingredients:-

50 gm Butter,

1 teaspoon Sugar,

1 kg sliced Onions,

4 cups Beef Stock,

4 sliced Garlic Cloves,

4 slices French Bread,

1 tablespoon Olive Oil,

250 ml Dry White Wine,

2 tablespoons All-purpose Flour,

140 gm grated Gruyere Cheese.

Preparation Method:-

1. Melt butter and oil in a pan. Add onions and fry for 10 minutes until soft. Sprinkle sugar and cook for 20 minutes.

2. Stir till caramelized. The onions must be golden and soft. Make sure they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

3. Add garlic at final few minutes of the onion's cooking time. Sprinkle in the flour. Stir well.

4. Increase heat and keep stirring while adding wine, followed by stock. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. For serving turn on the grill and toast bread.

5. Ladle soup into thick bowls. Put a slice on top of bowls of soup. Pile on the cheese. Grill until completely melted. Serve hot!

 

Enjoy!

Enjoy Pig Festival with French-Style Roasted Pork

I can feel the tempting aroma of roasted pork for this porcine fest. The festival is not only accompanied by yummy pork recipes, but there are various funny and enthusiastic competitions and engaging activities like piglet race, best pig outfit, best sausage eater etc. There is a competition called Black-Pudding-Eating Competition. In this the competitors eat congealed blood, stretching over 1m. The criteria is pretty simple, how much and how fast. The main events include Pig Imitating Competition and aural extravaganza. In this, the competitors squeal like a pig. However the festival gives a boost to the declining pig-farming industry. So here I go with the luscious French-Style Roasted Pork recipe to keep up the spirit of the fest at the par. 

French-Style Roasted Pork Recipe

Ingredients:-

1 Bay leaf,

1 teaspoon Sugar,

2 teaspoons Herbs,

Pepper as required,

3 Lbs Pork loin roast,

2 tablespoons Butter,

2 sprigs Fresh thyme,

3/4 cup Chicken broth,

1/3 cup Dry white wine,

1 finely chopped Onion,

Kosher salt as required,

6 cloves thinly sliced Garlic,

2 tablespoons Vegetable oil,

1 tablespoon chopped Parsley,

1 tablespoon Unflavored gelatin,

1 thinly sliced Granny Smith apple.

Preparation Method:-

1. Preheat oven to 225 D. C and place oven rack in lower middle position. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add half of garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until golden. Now set aside to cool.

2. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of salt over both sides of butterflied pork loin and rub into the pork. Sprinkle sugar over inside of pork, and then spread with cooled garlic mixture. Fold roast back together like a letter, Keep the fat portion outside and tie with twine at one-inch intervals.

3. Sprinkle tied roast evenly with herbs and season with pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a dutch oven over medium heat until very hot; add roast, fat side down for 8 minutes. Transfer the roast to a large plate.

4. To the dutch oven add remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, apple and onion. Cook, stirring frequently until onion is softened and browned for 6 minutes. Stir in remaining garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine, thyme, and bay leaf; cook for another 30 seconds.

5. Return roast to pot, fat side up. Place a large piece of aluminum foil over top of pot and cover tightly with a lid. Transfer pot to oven and cook until pork at 140 D. C for 90 minutes. Transfer roast to carving board, tent loosely with foil, let it rest for 20 minutes.

6. While pork rests, sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup of chicken broth and let sit until gelatin softens, for 5 minutes. Remove and discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf; pour just into 2 cup measuring cup and; if necessary, add chicken broth to measure 1-1/4 cups.

7. Return to pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk softened gelatin mixture, remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, and parsley and season to taste; remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

8. Slice pork in ½ inch slices, adding any accumulated juices to sauce. Serve pork, pass sauce separately. Enjoy with wine of your choice. :)

Enjoy the Pig Festival!