“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!
