Paris Recipes

French Onion Soup

Not many people know this is a specifically Parisian dish; in the old days revelers would come to the market at Les Halles for a bowl at dawn after the clubs closed.

Ingredients:

1 pound onions, sliced
1 clove minced garlic
4 tablespoons butter
A pinch of sugar
3 pints beef stock
10 fluid ounces dry white wine
Salt and pepper
A baguette, sliced
8 ounces grated gruyère cheese

Directions:

Gently sauté the onions, garlic, and a pinch of sugar in butter until the onions turn brown. Add the stock, wine, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer on low heat for an hour or so. In the meantime, grill slices of baguette. Ladle soup into bowls, top with slices of grilled baguette and gruyère cheese, then broil till bubbling.

Servings: Serves six

Entrecôtes Bercy

Bercy on the Seine, where the Finance Ministry stands, once was the biggest wine port and market in the world; the place gives its name to many recipes involving wine.

Ingredients:

6 sirloin steaks (or any other steak)
8 chopped shallots
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons oil
8 fluid ounces dry white wine
Parsley, salt, and pepper

Directions:

Sauté the shallots and parsley in the butter and oil, then add the wine, salt, and pepper and reduce until only a little is left. While it's reducing, grill the steaks, and then top with the sauce.

Servings: Serves six

Petit Pot de Crème à la Vanille

The classic Paris bistro dessert

Ingredients:

6 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups light cream
3-inch vanilla bean
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat the vanilla bean in 1 3/4 cup of cream. Whisk the yolks until lemon colored. Whisk in the sugar, salt, and remaining cream, then slowly beat in the hot cream. Strain. Divide mixture among six ramekins and place in a large pan filled with two inches of hot water, cover with foil, and bake for about 25 minutes, until set around the edges, but still loose in the center. Remove from oven and pan until cooled. Chill for at least two hours or overnight.

Servings: Serves six