Onion soup with Montasio cheese souffle topping
The Culinary Institute of America · 11 min video
Read about bulb onions in the BrightCulinary Book
Timestamp
Ingredients
Method
Techniques
- sliced onions
- oil
Heat oil in a big shallow pan until it begins to smoke; add the sliced onions.
Browning the onions with patience
Brown the onions to a deep walnut color, stirring rarely so they do not mat together and trap moisture; check the bottom now and then. About 10 to 15 minutes.
- white wine
- thyme
- bay
- chicken stock
Deglaze with a little white wine, add thyme and bay, and simmer with chicken stock about 15 minutes; season.
- butter
- flour
Melt butter and flour together for a white roux; cook until it feels slightly sandy and smells like cooked popcorn.
Making a white roux
- hot milk
Add hot milk a little at a time, stirring to break up lumps each time it thickens, until all the milk is in and it is a bechamel.
Adding milk to make a bechamel
- grated Montasio cheese
Add grated Montasio for a thick Mornay sauce; simmer 15 to 20 minutes.
- cayenne
- salt
- lemon juice
- 2 whole egg whites
- croutons
- shaved Montasio
Season with a little cayenne, salt and a splash of lemon juice; off the heat, stir in more grated Montasio until it melts. This is the souffle base.
Whip the egg whites, lifting the whisk at the end to bring in air, to soft peaks, about quadrupled in volume.
Fold a third of the whites into a portion of the cheese base to lighten it, then the second third more gently, then the last third very carefully to keep the air.
Ladle soup into a soup crock about three-quarters full, about six ounces; float a crouton on it and lay a slice or two of Montasio on top.
Assembling the soup crocks
Spoon the souffle mixture on top, not too much since it will roughly double; lay more cheese around the outside.
Bake at 375 for about 12 minutes, until domed and the outside cheese is melted, browning and crisp. Serve immediately.