Culinary Adventures with Camilla

So, one of the premises of our Cooking Around the World Adventure: explore different countries by cooking a traditional meal. As we are wrapping up the 'F' countries with a tabletop trip to France, I half-heartedly suggested escargots. The response was not enthusiastic. My husband said he'd strike - only for that one meal, of course; my usually agreeable Dylan said, quite tepidly, "ohhhhhhh, okay, Mommy"; and Riley gave me a disapproving look and didn't say a word. "What do you think of when I say 'France'?" I queried. I have never heard them answer in such unison before: "Pastries!" they hollered. Oh, brother! I suggested quiche . No. Coq au vin . Nope. We all agreed on French Onion Soup. onions thyme butter beef boullion pink Himalaya salt white wine bread, sliced (I used some day-old ciabatta) gruyère Peel and slice 3lbs of organic yellow onions. Cook onions, thyme, and salt in butter in a 4- to 5-quart heav...

This afternoon I received a three-word text from my husband: "French. Onion. Soup." Yes, that's how it works in my house - they order, I cook. It's my own fault that they believe they live in a restaurant. So, with that suggestion, I headed to the store after work and picked up some onions, beef boullion, and gruyere cheese. Easy, though I would not call this a traditional French onion soup. My version, as always, relies on what I have or don't have. I did not have white wine or thyme, both of which are included in the usual recipe. Instead, I used a combination of spices and added a splash or two or three of a cabernet sauvignon. I also couldn't find my oven-proof ramekins, so I melted the cheese on the bread in the oven and just plunked them into the steaming bowls of soup. onions dill oregano celery seed smoked sea salt butter beef boullion red wine bread, sliced (I used mini loaves of a whole wheat hazelnut bread I had made yesterd...