Food Wars!: I Became a Fantasy Ingredient Supplier

Page 103

Slice it thinly into strips.

Place it in a soup pot with a thick bottom.

Add butter, oil, and thyme and sauté until softened and slightly browned. At this point, the entire kitchen is filled with a wonderful caramelized aroma.

Once the onions have turned golden, add a few tablespoons of flour and continue stirring for a few minutes.

This step, similar to thickening a soup, involves mixing flour with butter and oil to enhance the consistency of the onion soup, preventing it from feeling too thin and making it more palatable.

Add a little white wine.

The alcohol will evaporate and heat the broth during the cooking process.

It also has a slightly sour taste.

At this step, you can cover the pot and simmer the soup for 30 minutes. This process will allow the flavors of the ingredients to meld together better.

And every now and then, remember to come back and check and stir to prevent the bottom from burning.

After 30 minutes, pour it into a bowl.

And just like that, a bowl of fragrant onion soup is ready!

……

soup!

It seems that it's always been on the dining table, something that's not considered refined enough for formal occasions.

However, the clever French have taken soup to an extreme, and there are many different kinds of hot soup in French cuisine.

Whether it's a thick soup or a clear soup, people have a wide variety of preferences, though these are rarely seen or not prominent in typical restaurants. Examples include: vegetable stew with meat, saffron gourd soup, chestnut and goat milk soup, Provençal fish soup, and onion soup…

now.

Onion soup in front of Rantabee.

The surface has layers of crispy, slightly dark crust; this is a natural yeast bread from a farmers' market.

Further down, there's melted cheese and piping hot onion soup.

"Hmm~"

"Not bad."

"This onion soup looks really good, it makes my mouth water."

Taking a deep breath, Rantabhi was slightly intoxicated.

……

The flavor of onion soup.

It depends on the choice and use of ingredients.

Hand-cut onions definitely produce the best texture. You can't use a machine to cut them, and it takes a long time to caramelize them after cutting.

The onions are paired with beef broth that has been prepared over an additional 24 hours, and the cheese used on top was chosen after many trials, with the final decision being to use Gruyère cheese, which is certified by the region, for the best taste.

Obvious.

When preparing traditional French cuisine, finding the right ingredients is truly a challenge!

Which ingredients cannot be substituted and must be imported, and which can be adjusted by using fresh and high-quality foreign ingredients, are all things that chefs must consider.

Experienced chefs like Shinomiya Kojiro would start by classifying main dishes, identifying the ingredients and historical origins of each dish, and then deciding which ones could be included on the menu.

Of course.

Ingredients are a very important factor.

But a delicious, unforgettable bowl of onion soup also depends on how well it is caramelized.

After all, before adding bread, the whole dish only consists of soup and onions, so making the soup delicious is the foundation of this dish's success.

Once the onions begin to soften, you can sprinkle in some salt and sugar, and turn up the heat to elevate the soup to another level. Sugar also helps with the caramelization process.

Stir-fry until the onions turn a beautiful golden brown, then you're done!

Chapter 81 Golden Salmon Roe

"I'm gonna start now."

To be honest, after leaving Ye Chen's little restaurant...

Lantabi then hurriedly ran to Shinomiya's restaurant, and faced with the onion soup, she really started to crave it again.

After all, a hearty meal is perfect for a warm and comforting bowl of French onion soup to whet your appetite.

Ok.

That's pretty good too!

……

Golden cheese wrapped around crispy bread.

Immersed in amber-colored broth, the sweet aroma of onions blends with the rich flavor of the meat soup; one sip and you feel completely healed.

"Correct!"

"This is the taste."

After swallowing, Rantab's eyes lit up slightly. He quickly picked up a spoon, scooped up some onion soup, and continued to sip it.

"Oh, I see. The broth for this onion soup is made from beef bones, chicken, and other ingredients, and then simmered for a long time, which makes it rich and flavorful. So, you can feel the rich layers of flavor with just one sip."

"It has the sweet aroma of onions and the savory flavor of meat; the taste is simple yet rich!"

……

Caramelized onions.

To be more precise, it is the product of onion caramelization and Maillard browning.

If an onion is heated continuously, the proteins and sugars inside it will slowly turn into brown substances. This process involves two stages: water release and browning.

Because onions have a water content of over 70%, they will first "sweat," releasing water and softening as their cells rupture. If heated continuously, the sugars and proteins inside the cells begin to break down and produce a dark brown substance.

The color changed from yellowish-white to brown.

of course.

The caramelization process.

You definitely need to pay close attention to the heat and the degree of browning.

If the heat is too high, not only will it be difficult to control, but the outer layer of the onion may also start to char before the substances inside the onion cells have a chance to be released.

This "burnt" color is definitely not from caramelized onions!

……

In fact.

Rantabhi hates eating raw onions.

Note that it's raw onions. She had visited many burger restaurants and always specifically asked the staff not to add raw onions when ordering a burger.

For her, raw onions have a slightly astringent taste that she just can't get used to. Perhaps this is similar to how many foreign friends who love Chinese food don't like tofu?

but.

Cooked onions are different!

As a basic side dish, onions release a unique aroma once they are combined with heat and oil.

This aroma, ironically, is something that Rantabee, who dislikes raw onions, particularly enjoys.

……

"Hey?"

"The more I eat, the more I feel the butter flavor is a bit too strong!"

Unexpectedly, at that moment, Lantabi stared intently at the bowl of onion soup in front of her. After careful examination, she could vaguely see a layer of oil floating on the surface of the soup, and she couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

A moment later, she seemed to realize something and hurriedly raised her hand to signal the front desk staff to come over.

"Hello."

"Any questions?"

A neatly dressed waiter approached Rantabhi and politely inquired.

“I feel there’s too much butter in this onion soup, which affects the overall taste. Would you mind if I get a different one?” Rantabee said, pointing to the bowl of onion soup.

"OK."

Upon hearing this, the waiter nodded.

Then, she quickly removed the flavorful onion soup from the table.

……

"Ok?"