Rosemary Cheddar Puffs & Onion Soup

In honor of my new food blog, I decided to try out a couple new recipes last night. Both of which turned out really good and made for an awesome dinner. Since the weather has still been nothing but cold shades of grey here in Seattle, I figured it was the perfect rainy day to try out a new soup recipe. Last night's soup was what I call Wanna-be French Onion Soup. I based the recipe off of a French Onion Soup recipe I had found, but since I didn't have all of the ingredients it called for, I made a few adjustments here and there and I still ended up with an awesome onion soup! The chicken stock I used with this recipe was a stock I made awhile back. It was my first attempt at making soup stock and I found it to be a little oily (mostly due to the chicken fat), so I added in about half a cup of water to the recipe to dilute it a little. Depending on the soup stock you use, you might not need the added water. Go by what smells and tastes right to you. Here is the recipe that I came up with:

 Wanna-be French Onion Soup

Ingredients:
1/2 large yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced.
Olive oil
2 pinches of sugar
4 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 cups of chicken stock
1/2 cup of water
1/4 cup of red wine (the original French soup recipe called for Vermouth or White wine. I only had red wine but it seemed to work just fine.)
1/2 teaspoon of dry crushed bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon of dry thyme
Garlic salt
Pepper
2 slices of toasted garlic sourdough bread 
1/4 cups of grated Parmesan and Romano cheese

In a medium pot, sauté the onions in the olive oil on medium high heat until well browned, but not burned, about 30 minutes. Add the sugar about 10 minutes into the process to help with the carmelization.

Add garlic and sauté for about a minute. Add the stock, water, wine, bay leaf, and thyme. Cover partially and simmer until the flavors are well blended, about 30 minutes. Season to taste with garlic salt and pepper.

To serve, ladle the soup into oven proof bowls. Cover with the toast and sprinkle with cheese. Put into the broiler for 5-10 minutes at 350 degrees F, or until the cheese bubbles and is slightly browned. Serve immediately.

At first when I tasted the soup, I honestly thought it tasted like hot Italian dressing given that it was made up of spices, oil, and wine. But once I topped it off with the garlic bread and cheese, all the flavors suddenly came together and made for a delicious tasting soup!

The next recipe I tried was Rosemary Cheddar Puffs. These light fluffy balls of deliciousness are definitely going onto my favorite list! Not only were they easy to make, but the recipe can be altered to your liking by using any combination of cheese and herbs that you prefer. I do give you warning though; this recipe will give your arm a major workout!

Rosemary Cheddar Puffs

Ingredients:
1 stick butter
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all purpose flour
4 large eggs
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
Freshly ground pepper

In a medium sized pot, add the water, butter, and salt, and bring to a boil over high heat.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the flour all at once. Stir rapidly. It helps to use a wooden or metal spoon to stir as the dough will be rather thick. The mixture will form a dough ball that will pull away from the sides of the pot. The dough will be similar to the consistency of playdough. Continue to cook for a couple minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and let cool for a couple of minutes. Stir so that the dough cools more evenly. You want the dough to be warm but not hot, otherwise the eggs will start to cook. To help speed up the cooling process, I placed the pot of dough into some cold water while I was stirring the dough. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring after each addition until the eggs are incorporated into the dough. (This is where my arm started to get really tired so I switch over from stirring by hand to using an electric mixer. It saved me from a severe arm cramp!) The dough should become sticky and creamy.

Stir in the grated cheese, rosemary, and a few grinds of pepper.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spoon out small balls (about a heaping tablespoon) of the dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet, with at least an inch separating the spoonfuls. Place in the oven and cook for 10 minutes at 425°F. Lower the heat to 350°F and cook for another 15-20 minutes, until puffed up and lightly golden.

Best when served warm, but be careful not to poke the tops or they will start to deflate.

Makes about 2 dozen.