Life's Simple Pleasures; Caramelized Onion Cheese Soup and a Glass of Rosé #SoupSaturdaySwapper #FrenchWinophiles

Life doesn't get much better than a bowl of creamy, rich, hot soup and a cold glass of clear, crisp Rosé from Languedoc.

This soup starts with Caramelized Onions and finishes with plenty of Gruyere cheese for creamy richness that welcomes the acidity and dryness of  Rosé wine.  Join me today as The French Winophiles collide with Soup Saturday Swappers.......

This month Martin of Enofylz Wine Blog gave the members of The French Winophiles full rein asking us to share any cheese and wine pairing from France.  Who doesn't love cheese and wine?  Count me in coach.  You can learn more from Martin's Preview Post.

French Winophiles and Soup Saturday Swappers is always on the third Saturday of each month.  Normally I post twice on this day however this month....Providence.

Ashley of Cheese Curd in Paradise asked us all to celebrate National Dairy Month with her and share a soup made with Cheese.  Perfect!!  I had just the soup that I wanted to make, however it called for Colby Jack cheese.  And it didn't caramelize the onions nor did it use the homemade croutons that I made from my experimentation with homemade sour dough bread.  And it included Parmesan cheese.  Yeah.....I pretty much made my own recipe, there is nothing left of the original except the idea of a creamy cheesy onion soup.

So I know that you are all shaking your head about now because didn't I just say earlier that I used Gruyere cheese?  Are you wondering what happened to the theme of French cheese?

Well here's the thing....as I was developing my recipe I really thought that Gruyere was the right choice to go with the caramelized onions so I did some research and here is what I found.

"Gruyère cheese is generally known as one of the finest cheeses for baking, having a distinctive but not overpowering taste. In quiche, Gruyère adds savoriness without overshadowing the other ingredients. It is a good melting cheese,[2] particularly suited for fondues, along with Vacherin Fribourgeois and Emmental. It is also traditionally used in French onion soup, as well as in croque-monsieur, a classic French toasted ham and cheese sandwich. Gruyère is also used in chicken and veal cordon bleu. It is a fine table cheese, and when grated, it is often used with salads and pastas. It is used, grated, atop le tourin, a type of garlic soup from France which is served on dried bread. White wines, such as Riesling, pair well with Gruyère. Sparkling cider and Bock beer are also beverage affinities."   

Source Wikepedia

So now you are probably saying to yourself that just because Gruyere is used in a lot of French dishes doesn't make it a French Cheese.  No worries.  Here is what else I found......

"The famous French Gruyère – not to be confused with its Swiss counterpart – has been produced in the Franche Comté and Rhône Alpes regions since the 13th century. The word “Gruyère” is derived from Gruyer officers, an institution of tax collectors founded by Charlemagne; in the territories that would later become France and Switzerland, taxes were sometimes collected in the form of cheeses. Today, near Annecy, there is still a village named “Gruyères”; and there is another in Switzerland named “Gruyère”. French Gruyère can be recognized by the slight bulge of its surface and the presence of small eyes in the paste. A yellow casein plaque applied to the edge of the wheel assures its traceability. The cheese is generally matured for six to twelve months."

Source Fromages de France

So now I was golden.  A Caramelized Onion Gruyere Soup it was.  With that decision made and knowing that I wanted to pair it with a  Rosé, all that was left to do was decide which producer.  As it turns out this was an easy choice for me.

Last month the Winophiles introduced us to Gerard Bertrand wines.  I paired this new to me white wine, Ciglaus, with an old family favorite casserole.  You can read about that pairing here.  I loved the wine and was anxious to try the Rosé that other members of the group were gushing on about.

This is a very elegant wine.  Crisp, acidic and fruity.  It paired perfectly with the richness of the soup. It is exquisitely bottled, when I bought this wine at my local grocers the cashier commented on how beautiful it was stating "anything that pretty had to taste good".  My favorite part of the packaging is that adorable little glass cork.

Full disclosure.... I couldn't find any French Gruyere so I used Swiss. I'm sure the Winophiles will forgive me LOL.  You can find out if they do by joining us today for Twitter chat at 11 AM ET following #Winophiles.  Here are the other Cheese and Wine Pairings that we'll be discussing.

• Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla offers us Pretty in Pink: Raclette de Savoie Polenta, Salmon, & Le Cocagne Gris Rosé.
• Lynn of Savor the Harvest brings us Cheese and Loire Wine Pairing with Les Vignerons du Vendômois.
• Pinny over at Chinese Food And Wine Pairings bids Je t’aime to a Bordeaux, a Loire Valley Rosé and an assortment of French Cheese.
• Robin of Crushed Grape Chronicles gives us A Loire rosé, a Bordeaux from Pommerol and…..Cheese.
• Wendy of A Day In The Life On A Farm shares Life’s Simple Pleasures; Onion Cheese Soup and a Glass of Rosé.
• Jane of Always Ravenous shares Summer Inspired French Cheese and Wine Pairings.
• David of Cooking Chat offer tips for Picking Cheese to Serve with French Wine.
• Jeff of FoodWineClick! says Do as the French: Serve The Cheese After the Meal.
• Liz of What’s In That Bottle? says Smile and C’est Fromage.
• Susannah of Avvinare brings us Vin Jaune and Comte-A Perfect Combination.
• Cathie of Side Hustle Wino presents Wine and Cheese, the Heart and Soul of France.
• Gwendolyn the Wine Predator asks Did Someone Say French Wine and Cheese?
• Penny of Adventures of a Carry-on pairs Alsace Riesling and Goat Cheese, A Match Made in Heaven.
• Linda of My Full Wine Glass suggests we try White Bordeaux and Goat Cheese Appetizer When Relaxing Outdoors.
• Deanna of Asian Test Kitchen delivers 3 French Cheese & Beverage Pairings.
• Cindy of Grape Experiences serves up Wines from Alsace and Cheeses for Pairing.
• Host Martin at ENOFYLZ Wine Blog is pairing French Grilled Cheese and Drappier Rose de Saignee Champagne.

Don't leave yet. You still want to take a look at all the wonderful Cheesy soups being shared today.  If you love soups please join our Soup Saturday Swappers where we take turns choosing themes/ingredients to create soups/stews each month.  Just comment below with your blog name and email so I can send you an invitation to the group.

• Ashley, Cheese Curd In Paradise: Pepper Jack Potato and Bacon Soup
• Karen, Karen's Kitchen Stories: Sopa de Queso - Cheese Soup with Chiles and Potato
• Cindy, Cindy's Recipes and Writings: Cheesy Broccoli Pesto Noodle Soup
• Wendy, A Day in the Life on the Farm: Caramelized Onion and Gruyere Soup
• Camilla , Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Chilled Watermelon and Rosé Soup
• Juli, Pandemonium Noshery: German Cheese and Leek Soup
• Sneha, Sneha's Recipe: Vegetable Garlicky Cottage Cheese Soup
• Sid , Sid's Sea Palm Cooking: Chicken Cheezy Soup
• Barrie, Hardly A Goddess: Weeknight Cheeseburger Soup with RealCheese!

Now onto my recipe of which I am very proud.  I think I will be serving this quite often but probably a small bowl as a first course as it is very rich for a main course meal.  

#soup, #cheese, #creamy, #caramelizedonions,

First Course, Appetizer, Soup

French Fusion

Yield: 8 Servings

Author: Wendy Klik

Caramelized Onion Gruyere Soup

This soup starts with Caramelized Onions and finishes with plenty of Gruyere cheese for creamy rich goodness.

prep time: 5 Mcook time: 30 Mtotal time: 35 M

ingredients:

• 1 lg. Vidalia onion, thinly sliced
• 2 t. sugar
• 4 T. butter
• 4 T. flour
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 4 c. milk
• 2 c. shredded Gruyere cheese
• Garlic Croutons, if desired for garnish

instructions:

How to cook Caramelized Onion Gruyere Soup

1. Melt the butter in a large soup pot over medium heat.  Add the onions, sprinkle with sugar and cook slowly, stirring occasionally until onions are golden brown and caramelized, about 15-20 minutes.
2. Increase the heat to med high. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper.  Cook and stir for a minute or two and then gradually whisk in the milk.  Continue to cook and stir until the milk comes to a boil and thickens, another 10 minutes or so.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese until melted.  Taste and season with more salt and pepper as needed.  
4. Serve garnished with croutons, if desired.

NOTES:

Inspired by a recipe found at Taste of Home

Calories
284.06

Fat (grams)
18.81

Sat. Fat (grams)
11.21

Carbs (grams)
14.61

Fiber (grams)
0.57

Net carbs
14.03

Sugar (grams)
3.33

Protein (grams)
14.47

Sodium (milligrams)
393.57

Cholesterol (grams)
59.73

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