From the Test Kitchen: Using Caramelized Onions

From the Test Kitchen, Volume 2

With the eyes of the world on Paris this summer, inspiration spread around the globe in many forms. World-class athletes competing at the highest levels drew everyone's attention, from celebrities to young athletes hoping for their chance to be a part of the world's biggest stage. Some of us find ourselves fans of sports we know nothing about, cheering, shouting, and even crying for amazing athletes we've never heard of. No matter what grabbed your attention, the world's focus was drawn to the magic Paris has to offer, and for a Chef, there's no better place to be drawn to. France has long been acclaimed as the epicenter of culinary history and innovation, so as I was cheering along, I couldn't stop thinking about my time in the city of lights and all the wonderful food!

This summer, Simplot launched Simple Goodness™ Premium Vegetables RTE Caramelized-Style Onions. An innovative product that promises to save time and labor, but can it compete with chopping and preparing fresh onions? With French cuisine top of mind, it seemed like the perfect time to find out. Like so many famous culinary preparations, the origin of caramelized onions is complicated. Still, there is no denying French onion soup has had a strong hand in championing delicious slow-cooked onions in restaurants worldwide. With royal origins in the halls of Versailles, French onion soup is the perfect start to a meal, but it also stands on its own as a delicious dinner. It's time to find out if Simplot's revolutionary new product is up to the task of making this culinary delight easier to accomplish.

French Onion Soup

Traditionally, when starting a batch of French onion soup, you begin with a bag of onions and chop away while holding back your tears, but with Simplot Simple Goodness™ Premium Vegetables RTE Caramelized-Style Onions, all I had to do was cut open the bag and add them to the pot. This product comes out of the bag seasoned, emitting paprika and black pepper aromas as the simmering begins. A few minutes later, what would've taken at least 30-45 minutes was accomplished easily. A little garlic, sherry cooking wine, beef stock, and thyme are all you need to move this recipe along. While the soup was simmering, I moved on to make the cheesy toasted French baguette that, for me, is always the pièce de résistance of French onion soup. Gruyere and parmesan combine to create the perfect garnish for the dish.

At last, it was time to find out if our product stands up to a dish enjoyed in France since the 17th century...I am happy to report that our caramelized-style onions were up to the task! The soup had depth and was full of flavor with very little effort on my part. Truly, it is a game changer for operators wanting a from-scratch soup option but don't necessarily have the time.

With some left-over soup in the pot, I was reminded of a recent conversation I had with a member of Simplot's sales team who asked me for more content around appetizers. I reduced the remaining soup a little further, grabbed some puff pastry, and threw together a French onion soup tarte that could work for breakfast as an appetizer or even a late-night snack. French onion soup as a handheld? To that, I say Oui Chef!

Soubise

Onions, butter, cream—need I say more? Soubise is a classic French sauce that allows onions to shine in all their glory. This sauce can elevate almost any dish from chicken to pork and, dare I even say a hot dog; yes, I tried it, and there's no going back. Typically, soubise is not made with fully caramelized onions, but the beauty of the product at hand is versatility. As the name states, our caramelized style onions are RTE, meaning great effort was made to ensure these are food-safe straight out of the bag. A quick sauté and these tasty little onions are ready to go, so for this sauce I thought it was worth a try. Beyond the time savings for a caramelized onion application, the truly amazing part of this product is learning how to work with seasoned onions. Different for a classically trained chef, but once you start playing with them, the "challenge" becomes a secret weapon. Suddenly, an oddly named French sauce becomes simple by sautéing the caramelized style onions and blending with butter and cream, it's really that simple. I'd venture to say that adding the word soubise to your menu might even make it sound adventurous and interesting, creating a buzz that can turn into sales. A French onion hot dog on a brioche bun with soubise might even grab Thomas Keller's attention, and it would certainly grab mine. For my purposes, I show a classic plate up with filet mignon and Simplot RoastWorks® Baby Bakers™ Roasted Potatoes to highlight how the caramelized style onions can leap into an elegant setting, but honestly, this sauce has so many applications!

As a bonus, I took the extra brioche hot dog buns from my dreamy hot dog soubise moment and showed another appetizer plate-up utilizing some standard pantry ingredients. Steak, soubise, provolone, and Swiss come together to make an awesome appetizer that works for catering, a bar menu, or even an LTO for the fall. Grab some Simplot Simple Goodness™ Premium Vegetables RTE Caramelized-Style Onions and have some fun because the versatility is endless.

Tarte Flambée

The Alsace region of France is famous for many reasons, including its German influences and delicious white wines, and it happens to be where my family's history originates. I have had the privilege to visit, and something that I carry with me from that journey is tarte flambée, a delicious white pizza made from crème fraiche, bacon, onions, and either gruyere or Comte cheese. It's simple, delicious, and one of my favorite things to make at home, so naturally, I'd love to see it on more menus out in the wild! Simplot Simple Goodness™ Premium Vegetables RTE Caramelized-Style Onions shine once again with a quick sauté, and in tandem with the bacon, the seasoning really adds something unique to this quick recipe. With only five ingredients, a dish with a fancy name is approachable for any operation. Add a couple of eggs, and a new brunch item is born. Can you see this working on your menu? Give it a try. You won't regret it… I'd love to come try all the operators takes on this classic Alsatian dish.