Oven-poached whole chicken and vegetables with celery lemon salsa

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Aliums

French onion soup with croutons

1 1/2 hours

French onion soup with croutons

By Paul Duncan

Serves 6

Difficulty Easy

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cooking Time 1 1/2 hours

Ingredients

For the croutons:

1 T olive oil
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 baguette, cut into 2.5 cm slices

For the soup:

2 T olive oil
50 g butter
700 g onions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 t sugar
1.2 litres good-quality beef stock
315 ml dry white wine
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 T Cognac
225 g goat\'s cheese (crottin or Rocamadour), sliced

Method

To make the croutons, preheat the oven to 180°C.

Drizzle the olive oil onto a large baking sheet. Add the garlic and, using your hands, spread the oil and garlic all over the baking sheet. Place the bread slices on top of the oil, then turn each one so that both sides have been lightly coated with the oil. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until crispy and crunchy. Remove from the oven and set aside.

To make the soup, melt the olive oil and butter together in a saucepan over a high heat. When very hot, add the onion, garlic and sugar. Cook, stirring from time to time, until the edges of the onions have turned dark – about 6 minutes.

Reduce the heat to its lowest setting and cook the onions very slowly for 30 minutes. The base of the pan should be covered with a rich, nut-brown, caramelised film.

Pour in the stock and white wine, season, then stir, scraping the base of the pan well.

Increase the heat and bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to its lowest setting again, and cook gently, uncovered, for 1 hour.

When you're ready to serve the soup, bring it back up to simmering point, taste to check the seasoning, then add the Cognac.

Warm the soup bowls in a low oven and preheat the grill to its highest setting. Ladle the hot soup into the bowls and top with the croutons, allowing them to float on the top of the soup. Sprinkle the goat’s cheese thickly over the croutons and place the whole lot under the grill until the cheese is golden brown and bubbling.

Serve immediately.

Strawberry tart with lemon posset

Beer-box (braai) platter

Rum-and-raisin rusks

Oven-poached whole chicken and vegetables with celery lemon salsa

Mixed squash stew with borlotti beans and feta

Tomato soup with meatballs and gnocchi

Moroccan minced lamb pizza with yoghurt-feta tzatziki

Mushrooms with roasted garlic cream and herb-buttered toast

Chicken meatloaf with crispy baguette

Roast chicken with sweet potatoes and Swiss chard

Marinated grilled baby brinjals

Lamb, chickpea and butternut stew

Marius Redelinghuys’ bolognese

Spelt bread with beetroot hummus

French onion soup with croutons

French onion soup with croutons

Ingredients

Method