In Search of the Famous Barr Soup of my memories

Which is the real Famous Barr French Onion Soup Recipe and who developed it? I think the answer is probably both Chef's Dahl & Zettl's recipe are correct and original depending on what years you ate there. Onion Soup Au Gratin' can be found on the Famous-Barr Tea Room Menu as early as 1942.

Erich Dahl was hired as the Food and Beverage Manager in 1948, Dahl speaks of researching the soup in Paris and specifically mentions the restaurant Pied De Cochon. Dahl said Chef Jan Verdonkshot took his suggestions and developed the French Onion Soup Recipe. Verdonkshot's daughter Renee claimed her father did not create the soup.

This brings us to Manfred Zettl. Zettl was the Executive Chef for Famous Barr during the years I walked to the Clayton, MO store to eat the soup. Zettl's recipe calls for paprika (probably Sweet Hungarian) Kitchen Bouquet Browning Sauce and Kraft Swiss cheese grated. Dahl's recipe calls for a hint of clove, no paprika, and Gruyere Cheese.

I could never bring myself to use canned beef broth and I think Famous Barr may have been taking some of their au jus drippings from the french dip roasts to strengthen the beef stock. I personally save juices from a roast in the freezer and make my own beef stocks. I know that many restaurants use Minor's Beef Base and or Au Jus Concentrate. This can be ordered over the internet or a restaurant store. There is also Better than Bullion Beef Base at most grocery stores. Famous likely used Minor's or a similar product.




Which Cheese to use? I have tried both Gruyere and Kraft Swiss and the latter had the right consistency. I recommend using both the paprika and a few taps of ground clove (just a little) along with the Kitchen Bouquet.

Which Onions to use, sweet Bermuda or regular yellow onions (you can't buy Bermuda anymore but they were sweet) I use half Vidalia and half Yellow.

Lastly, the cooking time on the onions varies greatly. Dahl doesn't specify a cooking time but states until golden brown. Zettle says about 15-20 Minutes and the internet recipe say's to cook the onions for an hour and a half. I think the most important thing is not to burn the onions as they turn bitter. I have always found an hour and a half excessive but have done it on the lowest setting stirring occasionally. I would do what Zettle says.

Compare all three recipes below:


CHEF MANFRED ZETTL'S FRENCH ONION SOUP

Executive chef Famous-Barr Company, St. Louis, 1964-1974

Ingredients

8 cups onions, peeled and sliced

1/8th-inch thick

2 ounces olive oil

2 ounces butter

2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons coarse ground black pepper (or 1 tablespoon of fine-ground black pepper). You may wish to grind your own pepper. Be sure to choose a coarse setting.

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon salt, or to taste

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 quarts beef stock

1 cup, optional, red or white wine

2 tablespoons Kitchen Bouquet liquid

seasoning

16 slices, 1/4 inch apiece, French bread

2 cups grated Swiss cheese

Loaf of French bread as accompaniment

Preparation

Peel onions, cut in half, then in half again, then in 1/8th-inch slices. In a large sauce pot, heat olive oil, and butter. Add and sauté onions over medium heat, until translucent. Approximately 15 to 20 minutes.

Add all seasonings except Kitchen Bouquet. Blend well. Add flour, stirring constantly. Immediately add beef stock. Add wine, optional.

Bring to a boil, check for taste. Add kitchen bouquet for a bit of color. Simmer slowly for 20 minutes, when the soup is ready to serve.

Use oven-proof bowls or the traditional brown crock. Bowls should hold at least 8 ounces. Place 6 ounces of soup in the bowl, top with two slices of French bread and 1/4 cup grated Swiss cheese. Place in 450-degree oven, top shelf, for 10 minutes, until cheese starts to brown and soup bubbles. Be very careful when serving. Will be very hot.

French bread, as typically sold here, is white on the inside and "way underbaked." Put a loaf of store-bought French bread on a rack in the 350-degree oven, about 10 minutes. Bread should have "a beautiful crust," brown enough that "you can hear when you slice it." 

Recipe and article at the following link:

http://www.westendword.com/Articles-Features-c-2012-04-11-179903.114137-SOUPS-ON.html#123

 French Onion Soup

‘FAMOUS-BARR’ FRENCH ONION SOUP AU GRATIN

Chef and Famous Barr Food and Beverage Director Erich Dahl beginning in 1948

• l lb. Bermuda onions
• ¼ lb. butter
• 4 whole bay leaves
• 5 whole cloves
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. glutamate (opt.)
• 1 tsp. flour
• 1/3 c. Burgundy wine (opt.)
• 2 qt. beef stock, au jus, or strong beef broth
• French bread croutons
• 1 lb. grated French Gruyere or Swiss Gruyere

Slice Bermuda onions paper thin.  Saute’ the onions until golden brown in approximately ¼ pound of dairy fresh sweet butter.  (A copper-lined saute’ pan will give the best results.)  When onions are golden brown, add bay leaves, cloves, salt, glutamate, Burgundy wine (optional) and freshly crushed black peppercorns.  Add 2 quarts of clear beef stock, au jus or strong beef broth (bouillon cubes may be used as a substitute).  Simmer slowly for another thirty to thirty-five minutes.  If soup appears too thin, add Beurre Manie which consists of 2 tablespoons of melted butter and 1 heaping teaspoon of all-purpose flour.  Makes 2 quarts.

To serve:  Ladle soup into earthenware cup or bowl.  Place French bread croutons (cut about ¼ inch thick to cover surface).  Top with generous portion of grated French or Swiss Gruyere cheese.  Place under broiler approximately 5 minutes or until cheese melts.  Remove and serve immediately.  Serves 8.

Recipe and article at the following link:

http://archive.is/B509X



French Onion Soup recipe with purchase of McCoy Soup Crocks at Famous Barr

The above recipe can be found on multiple internet sites

This is one of my beef stock recipes.

(This is a double batch, I put half in my freezer for the next time)

6 Quarts Water
4 Tbsp Beef Better than Bullion or Minor's Beef Base
2-3 Meaty Beef Shanks
1 Cup Burgundy
10 Peppercorns
3 Bay leaves

Sear Shanks in a dutch oven with just a little butter and pepper. Add Water, bullion, bay leaves, clove, peppercorn, and burgundy. Cover and place in oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, turn heat down to 325 degrees and let the ingredients braise for 2 1/2 Hours or until it is reduced by almost half. Remove from oven, allow to cool, *remove shanks and reserve for another use (think dogs). Pour liquid from Dutch oven, through a fine mesh strainer, into a soup pot.

Beef Shanks

The purpose of doing this in the oven instead of the stovetop is it reduces better in the oven.

Susan's Version

2.5 lb. Sweet Onions Vidalia, Walla Walla or the like
2.5 lb Yellow Onions
2 Tbsp Olive or Avocado Oil

3/4 stick Unsalted Butter 

3 whole bay leaves
1 1/2 Tbsp Paprika (buy fresh, don't use cheap, Hungarian sweet)

4-6  Healthy Taps ground cloves

2 Tsp fresh Cracked Pepper

1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. glutamate (opt.) I don't use this.

4 Tbsp A/P flour or 6 Tbsp Wondra flour

1/2 Cup Burgundy or Chardonnay I use Burgundy

3 Quarts beef stock, au jus, or strong beef broth
1 or 2 Tbsp Kitchen Bouquet, add a little at a time till you get the right color

French Baguette Crouton  

1 lb. grated Swiss 

Slice onions 1/8 inch thick, Saute’ the onions until golden brown and caramelized but not burnt. Sprinkle a little salt and a pinch of sugar on onions while sauteeing.  When onions are golden brown, add paprika first and incorporate well, add cloves, salt, pepper, and glutamate if using. Sprinkle flour over onions and cook for a minute or two. Add Burgundy or Chardonnay and deglaze the bottom of the pan. Quickly stir in 3 quarts of clear beef stock, au jus or strong beef broth in about three additions stirring completely each time to work the flour through the broth.  Add bay leaves cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. If soup appears too thin, add  Makes 3 quarts.

 To serve: Ladle soup into earthenware cup or bowl. Place 2 slices French baguette (cut about ¼ inch thick to cover surface) on top of the ladled soup. Bread should cover the surface of the soup (you are building a life raft for the cheese).  Top with generous portion of grated Swiss Cheese.  Place in a 350-degree oven and bake until cheese has browned and formed a crust, about 10 Minutes.

Note (You really don't want to just broil this. It might brown and melt it, however, it will not form a crust and become sort of nutty in flavor). When baked, the cheese will puff up, form a crust and brown. Broiling simply melts it into the soup.

To prepare the baguette, place a whole loaf in a 350-400 degrees (depends on your oven) oven for 10 minutes The crust should be browned and crisp. Tip: Slice it on its side with a decent bread knife and it won't compress as much.

Remove and serve immediately. Serves 8. 

Notes.

Make the soup the day before and refrigerate overnight, the flavor is much better. Heat soup through and assemble the Gratin the next day.

I don't use the monosodium glutamate

Use fresh cracked pepper

Use Ground Cloves

Use "fresh" Sweet Hungarian Paprika (do not use old paprika or cheap, you will regret it).