Green bean casserole with homemade fried onions and cream of mushroom soup

Halve two large onions and slice thinly on a mandolin; soak in about a cup of buttermilk for about 15 minutes.

Drain, coat in all-purpose flour and shake off the excess in a sieve.

Deep fry in 300F vegetable oil, a lower temperature because the onions are moist and cook quickly, 7 to 9 minutes until golden brown and crisp; season lightly with kosher salt.

Stem, crush and finely chop the cremini mushrooms.

Saute in about three tablespoons of bubbling butter in a high-walled saute pan with a generous pinch of salt to draw out the moisture, until it has evaporated.

Add a heaping tablespoon of flour and saute about one minute to a rudimentary roux.

Add two cloves crushed garlic and saute 30 seconds; deglaze with a little cognac, flambeing if desired, after taking the wooden spoon out.

Add about a cup and a half of chicken stock and a cup of heavy cream; bring to a simmer, add a dash of soy sauce and simmer until dark, thick and rich.

Trim the green beans, cut into one-inch pieces, parboil about two minutes until bright green and shock in an ice bath; drain.

Mix the beans with the cream of mushroom soup and about half the fried onions.

Pour into a generously buttered casserole; cover and bake at 350F for 15 to 20 minutes or until bubbly.

Uncover, sprinkle on the rest of the fried onions and bake another 5 to 10 minutes until browned and bubbly.