A very dear friend of mine invited me to a taping of a daytime lifestyle show called Steven & Chris last week. It was their first show of their eighth season so it was very special, that’s a long time to be on a show and what’s even more impressive is that they’ve been life partners for 22 years! My friend has been a long-time fan of the show and has been to several tapings over the years so we got the VIP treatment; we were the first to be ushered into the studio and first to be seated (front row, no less). It was truly an action packed show of which I’ll share the details after it airs, but I will share a few pics.
My dear friend invited me to another taping on September 30 when the special guest is a World Famous Chef! But I can’t say who just yet! I’m so excited. Thanks so much Angela, I really appreciate that you chose me for these exciting events!
Deconstructed French Onion Soup
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 4 ordinary cooking onions
- 3 cups beef stock
- a few stems of fresh tarragon
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Please refer to this recipe on baking the onions and proceed to step 4.
- Lower the oven temperature to 250° F (121° C), add the beef stock, bay leaf and tarragon stems and cover the dutch oven with a lid or foil. Continue to bake for 2-3 hours or until the onions are extremely soft.
- To make the tuiles, line a baking sheet with parchment. Turn oven to broil, high heat. Pile 4 evenly spread circles of the grated Gruyere onto the baking sheet, about 5 cm or 2 inches apart. Broil on high until cheese is completely melted and begins to colour. Watch carefully as the cheese will burn very quickly. Remove from heat and place the parchment with cheese tuiles on a cooling rack and cool completely. When cooled, gently remove the tuiles and set aside.
- Discard the bay leaf. Remove onions from the beef stock and cut into the skins in quarters to reveal the soft centre. Remove the inedible onion skin. Place cut onions into the centre of a pretty bowl and ladle in a little stock. Garnish with the Gruyere tuille and the baked tarragon stems.
Where to begin, Eva? The soup sounds wonderful but the photos are, quite literally, of jaw-dropping quality. What a lovely post! And then you were in the audience for a live taping. What fun! Isn’t it fascinating to observe the “magic” behind the scenes? With so many shows taped here in Chicago, I’ve only seen one. It was, as she called it, “A very special” Jenny Jones. Apparently, she and I have vastly different interpretations for the word “special”. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a treat to be there in the studio! And your soup looks so very pretty, very gourmet in the presentation! I can’t wait to read about your next foodie adventure.. life is a lot more boring here in Calgary:D
LikeLike
Thanks Barbara, I’m really looking forward to blogging about the next one! Oh my, I loved your post about Chapters, we lost our very gorgeous Chapters from the hood and I’m so disappointed.
LikeLike
wow, congratulations!!!
thx to you i know baked onion my friend, one of my comforting food now…
LikeLike
I’m so glad you tried it Dedy, I’m sure you would have made it a very fancy dish.
LikeLike
I had the worst french onion soup the other day, but this looks like the best! I really enjoy watching Michael Smith, unfortunately we don’t get him over here.
LikeLike
There is nothing worse than bad French onion soup! Been there, had it. In fact one place was so bad I wrote to their head office and guess what they did? They gave me a coupon for a free French onion soup! I never went back!
LikeLike
It looks very elegant, Eva. I would probably never guess it’s an onion soup’s “cousin” 😉 I see you are having lots of fun! I’m happy for you.
LikeLike
Thank you very much Sissi.
LikeLike
What fun at the show! That soup is absolutely beautiful. I’ve never found an onion I didn’t love and this is no exception.
LikeLike
The guys are a blast, thanks Maureen.
LikeLike
Interesting recipe…. your new career sounds wonderfully fun!
LikeLike
Thank you kindly Liz.
LikeLike
Eva the presentation is just divine! I think you are secretly the world famous chef! Your skills cease to amaze me (I know I say that all the time – but it’s true!). I cannot wait to make this – it will be perfect in these cold weather months. And how much fun is it that you got to go to a taping with another scheduled! It looks like a terrific experience. 🙂
LikeLike
You make me blush Kristy! Thank you so much for your very flattering words. I really loved this dish and it’s relatively easy to make and plate for its WOW factor. And it makes the house smell amazing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Such a beautiful shot of a pretty dish, and your tuille looks like a little heart. What a fun experience to watch the taping of the show.
LikeLike
Thanks Betsy, the heart shaped tuille was entirely coincidence!
LikeLike
love deconstructed dishes and this soup looks beautiful.! What a wonderful way to present it
LikeLike
Thanks Jessica, it’s relatively easy for the WOW factor.
LikeLike
love the ussie – great word ;-). Well you know how much we enjoyed your delicious baked onion and this looks so beautiful featured in soup form Eva. The gruyere tuille is the ideal elegant topper. So much fun that you got the VIP treatment at a Steven and Chris show! – lucky you to be the invited guest. You make me want to get a life! 🙂 xx
LikeLike
Thank you Kelly, it was tasty too. Steven & Chris were really humble and I was rather impressed how grateful they were with the audience.
LikeLike
What an amazing looking soup Eva! And how lovely for your friend to take you to a taping of a show too! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you kindly Lorraine, it was a very nice experience for sure.
LikeLike
What a creative and innovative idea, this onion soup looks so delicious 😀
Beautiful photos!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
LikeLike
I love this idea. Very creative. I love baked/roasted onions and always make sure there are plenty when we do a roast. I use dried tarragon a lot but I have to admit, I’ve never tried fresh tarragon. I’ll have to look for it.
LikeLike
Tarragon is a lovely flavour and I particularly love the fresh because I grow it in the garden. I hope you will like the fresh version.
LikeLike
Oh my this is fancy!!
Way to go girl!!
LikeLike
Thank you sweetie pie!
LikeLike
Is is my imagination or did you shape your baked tuille into little hearts. This is such a beautiful onion soup. I am so glad you are getting these opportunities. Take Care, BAM
LikeLike
Hi Bam, no I did not intentionally shape my tuilles, some turn out that way because my oven is not quite level! Thank you for your lovely comment.
LikeLike
What a pretty dish with the different components of one of my favourite soups. I’ve seen Steve and Chris a few times but Michael Smith is one of my old favourites from the days he did a show called the “Inn Chef” on the Food Network. Sounds like you and Angela had a great time.
LikeLike
I loved that show too Maria. I made one of his dinners and it took me 14 hours! I was exhausted! Thank you for your compliment.
LikeLike
So much more elegant than just old onion soup. Saving this for when I have company. Gorgeous presentation.
LikeLike
Thanks so much Norma.
LikeLike
Hey we’ve seen those guys. That looks like a great time.
LikeLike
They are very cool Canadians!
LikeLike
The soup with baked onion looks beautiful. I love the plating.
LikeLike
Thank you kindly Angie.
LikeLike
Baked onions are one of my favorites.
LikeLike
Thanks Karen.
LikeLike