thyme

Sometime after I graduated from college, I was living in Houston with two of my best friends. One of those friends was always trying to fix us up with her boyfriend’s roommates. She would casually suggest that we hang out and watch the football games with them, or make them dinner. The first, and maybe only time, we made them dinner, we decided to make them my French Onion Soup! Not only did the boys love it, but it must have worked it’s magic on at least one of them. Sometime after that dinner our other roommate started dating one of the boys. Now, they are married with a beautiful daughter.

All thanks to that French Onion Soup.

Okay, not really. But in my head that’s where it all started.
The reason I choose my French Onion Soup recipe all those years ago was, first, it was the one recipe I felt I had really mastered.

Growing up, FOS was my absolute favorite. When I started doing more and more cooking during college, it was probably one of the first recipes I tried and experimented with.

Second, it only requires a few easy steps.

Step 1: Caramelize onions.

Step 2: Add wine and reduce.

Step 3: Add flour and stir.

Step 4: Add broth and simmer.

I like to let the soup simmer for at least 30 minutes so that all the flavors in the herbs start to seep into the broth, making the broth extra rich and flavorful.

Once the broth is ready, I ladle it into a couple bowls, top with a slice of bread, a couple slices of Gruyere cheese, and pop it under the broiler until the cheese is nice and melted.

That first bite is my favorite. You have to break through that thick layer of cheese and bread to get down to the good stuff. That first spoonful has a bit of everything – a healthy glob of cheese, a bit of bread, and the yummy onions. A little bite of heaven if you ask me.

My husband and I will eat the soup on it’s own as our dinner. But, it would also be great on the side of a big, hearty salad, or even as a starter before a nice steak dinner.

PIN NOW, MAKE LATER

[amd-yrecipe-recipe:101]

On a recent trip to my local farmers market I noticed that tomatoes were everywhere. They had all sots of colors, shapes, and sizes. It’s got to be tomato season, right? (a quick Google search confirms that tomato season here in the Carolinas is May through October). And even though I am a terrible food blogger for not knowing the appropriate seasons to buy produce, I do know when there is a good deal on heirloom tomatoes you snatch them up as quickly as possible. And then turn those tomatoes into a delicious and colorful tomato tart.

These were the tomatoes that I picked up. I mean, aren’t they pretty? I was actually sad that I had to cut them up…but only until I tasted a slice and it was so juicy and delicious! I really love tomatoes. I know they aren’t everyone’s favorite, which doesn’t totally make sense to me, but to each their own. They are just missing out!

The first thing you have to do when you are baking with tomatoes is let them drain. They are some slippery little suckers (name the movie!) and I didn’t want them to make my tart all soggy. So I placed the slices of tomato on some paper towels to drain until the tart was ready to be prepped.

To assemble the tart, I started with some refrigerated pie crust. You are more than welcome to make your own, but I know my strengths and pie crust is not one of them. Then topped that with some caramelized onion, Gruyere cheese, then those lovely tomatoes, and then topped with some extra Parmesan cheese and thyme.

Of course all the ingredients probably sound pretty similar to a pizza, so it would be no surprise that this tastes a lot like a pizza, but so much more “French” (as I mentioned on Snapchat). It also tastes so fresh and light, it was a perfect summer lunch.

When I make this again (because it’s not a matter of if) I will definitely serve it a long side a big Summer salad filled with lots of veggies. I would also make this again for a brunch or in mini form for a baby or bridal shower. It is sure to be a hit (unless you are friends with those pesky tomato haters)!

[amd-yrecipe-recipe:37]

Classic French Onion Soup

PIN NOW, MAKE LATER

Farmer’s Market Tomato Tart