There’s no better way to savor a bountiful crop of onions than a steaming bowl of French onion soup bubbling over with toasted cheese. I make this recipe every fall after harvesting the onions before tucking them into the basement for the winter. Well, except for the year our evil turkey systematically demolished the entire onion crop and I had to buy store onions, but I’m trying to forgive and forget. Anyway, this recipe has forever ruined me for many restaurant renditions of French onion soup. It takes a little bit of extra time to put together, but very little of that time is hands-on. Rich, from-scratch stock is absolutely non-negotiable, and try to use several different varieties of onions for maximum flavor. (I like a combination of sweet and red onions.)
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
4 medium to large red, white, or yellow onions, or a combination, halved and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
4 cloves garlic, minced
¾ cup red wine or stock
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Slices of crusty bread
Finely shredded Gruyère or Swiss cheese
In a Dutch oven over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions, thyme, bay leaves, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions turn a rich shade of golden brown, reducing the heat if they begin to burn. The caramelization process usually takes 45 to 50 minutes, but the depth of flavor you’ll end up with is worth the wait.
Add the red wine all at once to pull the flavor from the bottom of the pan and cook, stirring, until the onions are mostly dry again, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the stock, vinegar, salt, and pepper to the pot and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Preheat the broiler to high.
Ladle the soup into oven-safe bowls or ramekins, top each serving with a slice of crusty bread and a handful of cheese, if desired, making sure the cheese completely covers the bread and the top of the soup, and broil for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and browned.
Old-fashioned sweets :
When I first awakened to the notion of homesteading, there were so many factors that appealed to me. I loved the idea of fresh, homegrown food, I was fascinated with the quality of life I envisioned it providing, and I was drawn to the thought of raising my future children in a lifestyle that promoted old-fashioned values and work ethic.
Fast-forward ten years, and here we are with a barn full of animals, a garden, and three wild prairie children. Watching them embrace the lifestyle as their own has been priceless, and I love the constant opportunities for growth and learning homesteading provides. They have an innate confidence and connection with animals I never did at that age and can identify every herb and vegetable we grow by sight and taste. At chore time, they have turned into quite the helpers and some days they even water, feed, and harvest the garden without me. Since they play such an active role in helping to grow our food, they love watching it transform into all sorts of tasty recipes, and all three frequently accompany me in the kitchen. They love talking about which components of each meal we grew here on the homestead as they crack eggs for Prairie Cream Puffs, crank the handle of our stovetop popper as it pops the corn for Honey Caramel Corn, and watch in eager anticipation as the ice cream maker churns Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream.
But before I wax too poetic and you think our days are filled with perfect, rosy-cheeked children picking green beans in the garden and baking cookies, hang on just a minute. This homesteading with children thing—it’s also chaotic, and crazy, and so very dirty.
Floors without tiny muddy boot prints everywhere? Not an option. Forgetting to add the sugar to the gingerbread cake recipe because you’re being peppered with questions about how it rains, why flour is spelled f-l-o-u-r and not f-l-o-w-e-r (I have no idea why, by the way), and why gingerbread cookies are crunchy and gingerbread cake is not? Oh, yes. Turning around while you’re cooking to see a little boy standing in your kitchen holding a (live) chicken? Absolutely. A bowlful of cracked eggs, complete with countless bits of eggshell? All. The. Time.
For every day my children wander the garden in idyllic poses or look adorable as they watch the Lemon Whey Pie browning through the oven window, there are ten other days filled with stop-and-start projects and utter chaos. I don’t have the perfect formula for homesteading with children. We just do it the best we can. Some days are more productive than others, and some days I just give up on accomplishing anything on my list. But memories are being made, lessons are being ingrained, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
My kids happily devour all the recipes in this chapter, but their very favorites are Honey Pumpkin Pie—they like to select the perfect pumpkin from the patch; Chocolate Frozen Yogurt—I give ’em a bowl and send ’em outside; and Fudgy Sourdough Brownies—easy for little hands to help mix and bake. The recipes in this chapter are prairie-tested and proven to satisfy any sweet tooth, young and old alike.
Lemon Whey Pie :
Whey isn’t an ingredient we hear much about these days, though if you make your own cheese, you’re probably intimately familiar with it. I found the original recipe for this pie in an old cookbook as a way for enterprising housewives to substitute a common, everyday ingredient (whey) for a harder-to-find, more expensive one (lemon juice). In our modern times, the tables have turned and now lemon juice is easier for most of us to source than whey. However, I’m rooting for whey to make a comeback—it’s a handy ingredient to have around. This charming farmhouse pie takes a little extra time to put together, so I usually save it for special occasions, but the pile of golden brown meringue and tangy whey filling is worth every bit of effort.
FILLING
1 cup organic white sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1½ cups whey
5 large egg yolks, beaten
¼ cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
MERINGUE
⅓ cup cool water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
5 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract ½ cup organic white sugar
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 baked pie crust
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Make the filling: In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt, then slowly whisk in the whey. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring often. Once the mixture is thickened and bubbly, cook for 2 minutes more.
Slowly drizzle the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolks, whisking constantly, then pour it all back into the saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and butter. Keep the filling hot while you prepare the meringue.
Make the meringue: In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the cool water and cornstarch. Cook, stirring until it thickens, remove it from the heat and set aside. This cornstarch paste will help keep the meringue from sagging or weeping.
In a medium bowl, use a handheld mixer on high speed to beat together the egg whites and vanilla until foamy, about 1 minute. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar and cream of tartar, then add to the egg whites, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating continuously.
Once stiff peaks have formed, test the meringue to see if the sugar has dissolved by rubbing a bit between your fingers. If it’s smooth, it’s ready. If it feels gritty, keep beating.
When the sugar is completely dissolved, reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the cornstarch paste, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating continuously.
Pour the hot filling into the pie crust. Spoon the meringue on top of the filling, starting with the edges. Make sure the meringue has contact with the edge of the crust and forms a solid layer. Heap the rest in the middle and use the back of a spoon to make swirls or peaks. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the tips of the meringue are golden brown. Cool completely before slicing and serve at room temperature
Minted Strawberry Tart :
Mint and strawberries usually arrive in the garden around the same time, so it only makes sense to eat them together. Herbaceous mint leaves elegantly complement the bright sweetness of strawberries and they both shine when wrapped in a flaky pastry crust. While not overly sweet, this light, rustic tart is the perfect early summer dessert and tastes even better if eaten while sitting on the front porch with a glass of iced tea nearby.
CRUST
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar, preferably organic whole cane sugar
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
4 to 6 tablespoons ice-cold water
FILLING
2½ cups sliced strawberries
¼ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
¼ cup sugar, preferably organic whole cane sugar
1 tablespoon organic cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 large egg, beaten, for wash
Make the crust: In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt, then cut in the butter using a pastry blender or two knives (you can also use a food processor) until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add 4 tablespoons of the water and mix, adding the remaining water if necessary, until the dough comes together and forms a ball. Press it into a disc, taking care not to overwork the dough. Wrap the disc in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Make the filling: In another large bowl, combine all the filling ingredients except the butter and allow the flavors to meld for at least 20 minutes. Drain off any liquid that accumulates in the bottom of the bowl.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Generously flour the countertop, remove the disc from the plastic wrap, and roll it into a 12-inch circle on a piece of parchment. Spread the strawberry filling in the center of the circle, leaving 2 inches of dough uncovered around the outer edge. Dot the top of the filling with the butter to give it a glossy shine when it comes out of the oven.
Fold the edges up one section at a time, overlapping as you go. Brush the edges of the crust with the egg, and place the parchment with the tart onto a baking sheet or stone. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Cool for 30 minutes and serve at room temperature.
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