French Onion Soup

The idea of a secret ingredient is a funny one. I think it's based on a modern American notion of shortcuts; the idea that instead of working hard to be successful, you can win the lottery or appear on a reality show or read the Cliff's Notes and still pass your A.P. English exam. This American obsession with getting everywhere as quickly as possible, to FastPass your way to accomplishment, doesn't translate well to cooking. Which is why, I think, so many Americans don't cook. They'd rather fast food it, or frozen dinner it, than stand over a stove. And when they do stand over the stove, they want "quick tips" and "30 minute meals" and the magical, secret ingredient that'll propel their dinner to greatness. But the truth is no one ingredient can propel your dinner to greatness; greatness comes with patience and practice, over time.

This is a recipe for French Onion soup with a secret ingredient: port wine. My favorite French Onion soup in the city, the one at Blue Ribbon, has a beguiling sweetness and acidity that threw me for a while. Now I've hit upon it at home and I have Anthony Bourdain's recipe to thank.

But just because there is a secret ingredient here (not just port wine but also, I should say, Balsamic vinegar) doesn't mean you can Shoots & Ladders your way to success. You've gotta understand the process. For starters, you've gotta slice your onions.

After that, it's pretty easy. Melt 6 Tbs of butter in a large pot (I used a Dutch oven) on medium heat. Add the onions but don't salt them--you want them to brown and salt will just make them wilt. Here's where you've gotta be truly patient; let them cook down for a while. Until they're golden, golden brown. (Not too fast though; control the heat so this happens gradually.) 20 minutes later.

At this point, I added salt: a good sprinkling of Kosher salt over the whole thing.

Now you add the secret ingredients. I realize now, because the recipe was in ounces, I added more than I should have but the resulting soup was still amazing. So the recipe says to add (for this halved version) 1/8 cup port wine and 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar. I added 1/4 cup of both and it still tasted great. You decide--you're the decider. Now here's another non-shortcutty thing to do: add homemade chicken stock. You add one quart of it (4 cups) to the onions, port and vinegar.

Either way, salt it and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. It will smell wonderful.

When you're ready to serve, heat your broiler or heat your oven to 425. Grate a bunch of cheese (I grated Gruyere and Pecorino. Drop the bread in. Top with all that cheese. Bake or broil until the top is as brown and crusty as you like it

Blueberry Crumb Cake

I love a good coffee cake, and this blueberry crumb cake doesn't disappoint. First there's the crunch and spice in the topping before hitting the moist crumb of the cake.

I decided to bake my "coffee cakes" in little espresso cups. After a quick spritz with cooking spray, I baked them for 25-30 minutes.

Recipe
Makes 8 servings (8x8 pan)

For the Crumbs:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup sugar
1/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup chopped walnuts (I used pecans)

For the Cake:
1 pint (2 cups) blueberries (preferably fresh, or frozen, not thawed)
2 cups plus 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2/3 cup sugar
grated zest of ½ lemon or ¼ orange
¾ stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

SuperBowl Fever.....Orders must be in by today!!!

Dinner, Dinner, Dinner.....I have no idea!

Lightning Fast Shrimp Scampi

Ingredients
2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined - tails left on
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
1 small onion, sliced thinly
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup shrimp stock, recipe follows
2 tablespoons cold butter
2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
Lemon slices, for garnish
Rice, as accompaniment

Directions
Season the shrimp thoroughly with salt and pepper. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add enough oil to lightly coat the pan. Add the shrimp and quickly saute until just starting to turn pink, but not cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the onions and saute just until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Add the lemon juice, white wine, and stock, and reduce by 2/3, about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp back to the pan and swirl in the butter. Finish with the parsley and check for seasoning. Garnish with lemon slices and serve over rice.

Tip of the Day: Wine and Chocolate Tasting Party

A tip for a fun evening of “gourmet entertaining”: Host a chocolate and wine pairing party. There are so many different pairings to explore. Bars today, truffles tomorrow, nuts next month. Get together a tasting group: every month someone else can plan and host. You’ll be the envy of everyone else in town. Rahul at Bialystok & Bloom can help you pair flavors together. Enjoy!

What to have for dinner Friday Night?

For a stress-free Friday night after a really long week, we're having "easy baked salmon". This is it:

Ingredients
2 lbs. salmon
1/2 tsp. lemon pepper
1 lemons, thinly sliced
1/4 cup melted butter Preheat oven to 350°F.

Directions
Wash salmon; pat dry and sprinkle the cavity with lemon pepper. Season to taste with salt. Place sliced lemons and onion insides cavity. Place salmon on a large sheet of aluminum foil and drizzle with melted butter. Seal the foil and bake 1 1/2 hours, or until salmon flakes easily. Serve hot.

Tip of the Day: Keeping the Grey Away

When boiling new potatoes or cauliflower add a 1/4 of a lemon to the water - this will stop them from gowing grey and keep them white so they can be used later.