James Martin’s cream of onion soup is the ultimate comfort food for overcast and rainy days.
The iconic chef makes his soup with Roscoff onions, which are a variety of onions that are grown in the Brittany region of northwest France.
Waitrose have Natoora Roscoff onions that are known to be “sweet [and] fragrant” with a “melt-in-the-mouth texture”.
Additional ingredients, which can also be sourced at Waitrose, includes garlic, thyme, nutmeg, chicken stock and double cream.
James Martin recommended serving his delicious cream of onion soup with toasted sourdough topped with cheese.
James Martin’s cream of onion soup recipe
Serves: four people
Ingredients:
25g butter
Three Roscoff onions
500ml chicken stock
200ml double cream
Salt and pepper
To serve:
750ml double cream, whipped with fresh nutmeg
15ml herb oil
Toasted sourdough with grated cheddar cheese
Method
Place the onions in a hot saucepan with the butter and cook until coloured. Then add the stock and cook for five minutes. Add the cream to the soup and season.
Blitz in a liquidiser (i.e. blender) until smooth. Put the mixture back in the pan to warm through.
To serve: spoon into bowls, and top with a drizzle of oil, coriander and cream. Sit the cheese on toast on the side.
And there you have it – James Martin’s cream of onion soup is ready in no time, and tastes so good.
French onion soup
An alternative to cream of onion soup is French onion soup, which is a bit more complex.
James Martin’s French onion soup recipe
Serves: four people
Ingredients:
25g butter
Five Roscoff onions, peeled and sliced
Two garlic cloves
50ml white wine
25ml brandy
Few sprigs of thyme
One tbsp of brown sugar
500ml beef stock
200ml veal jus
50ml sherry
Salt and pepper
Eight baguette slices
200g grated Comte and Emmental or Gruyere
Method
Place the onions in a hot saucepan with the butter, garlic and thyme. Cook until coloured gently for one hour then add the sugar, sherry, wine, brandy, and stock. Cook for 10-15 minutes.
Spoon into deep ovenproof soup bowls, and allow to cool. Toast the bread and sit on top of the soup seal, sprinkle in cheese and grill on high for five minutes.
