fench onion spoup :flag_fr:

Ingredients:

5-6 Cups Yellow Onions, sliced thin
1/2 Yellow Onion, raw
Olive Oil, 4 Tbsp
French Bread, about 8 slices
Cogniac, 2-3 Tbsp (optional)
Parmesan Cheese, 4 ounces
Swiss Cheese, Grated, about 12 ounces
Salt and Pepper
Sage, Ground, 1/2 tsp
Bay Leaf, 1 leaf
White Wine, 1 cup
Beef Stock, 6 cups
Flour, 3 Tbsp
Sugar, 1/2 tsp
Butter, 2 Tbsp
Cooking Oil, 1 Tbsp

Heat a heavy, oven-safe, stock pot over medium-low heat and add the cooking oil once the pot is hot. Melt the butter into the hot oil. Stir the sliced onions into the oil/butter mix, ensuring they are evenly coated. Cover the stock pot and cook for around 20 minutes checking to make sure they aren’t burning. Onions should be clear and very tender once finished. Turn up the heat to medium-high, and add the sugar and 1tsp salt. Continue cooking while stirring until onions are thoroughly browned (caramelized).

Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in 3 Tbsp flour. Cook 2-3 minutes until flour forms a thick paste (add more butter if needed). Stir in 1 cup of beef stock, and stir heavily for a couple seconds.

Add the rest of the stock, wine, sage, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F. Drizzle both sides of french bread slices with olive oil, and place on a baking sheet. Cook the bread in the oven for 15 minutes on each side.

Taste soup, and add salt and pepper as needed, then remove the bay leaf.

Add cognac, and grate the 1/2 raw onion into the soup. Add a little bit of the swiss cheese to the soup, preserving most of it for the top. Cover the soup mixture with the bread, forming a single layer bread top. Sprinkle the rest of the Swiss cheese over the top of the bread, forming a thick layer. Drizzle melted butter or oil over the cheese, and place the pot into the oven uncovered. Bake for around 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Turn the broiler on and brown the cheese.

New York Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the crust
85g butter, plus extra for tin
140g digestive biscuits, made into fine crumbs (add 2 extra biscuits if you like a thicker base)
1 tbsp sugar, granulated or golden caster
For the cheesecake filling
900g Philadelphia cheese, or other full-fat soft cheese
250g golden caster sugar
3 tbsp plain flour
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
finely grated zest of 1 lemon (about 2 tsp)
1 ½ tsp lemon juice
3 large eggs, plus 1 yolk
284ml carton soured cream
For the soured cream topping
142ml carton soured cream
1 tbsp golden caster sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
Method

STEP 1
Position an oven shelf in the middle of the oven. Heat the oven to 180C/ 160C fan/ gas 4.

STEP 2
Line the base of a 23cm springform cake tin by putting a square piece of parchment paper or foil on top of the tin base and then clipping the side on so the paper or foil is trapped and any excess sticks out of the bottom.

STEP 3
For the crust, melt 85g butter in a medium pan. Stir in 140g digestive biscuit crumbs and 1 tbsp golden caster or granulated sugar so the mixture is evenly moistened.

STEP 4
Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan and bake for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack while preparing the filling.

STEP 5
For the filling, increase the oven temperature to fan 220C/ 200C fan/ gas 7. In a table top mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat 900g full-fat soft cheese at medium-low speed until creamy, about 2 minutes.