Here is another of our kitchen staples, which tastes like an extraction of the essence of onion soup. Awesome on liver, veal, beef, or even schnitzel, it’s the taste of winter in Paris.

　　

Ingredients

Makes about 1 1/2 cups (375 ml)

　　2 cups (200 g) thinly sliced onions

　　1/4 cup (55 g) unsalted butter

　　1 1/2 cups (375 ml) Beef Shank Stock (page 249)

　　2 tablespoons dry sherry (optional)

　　1 to 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

　　Leaves from 4 sprigs thyme

　　1 bay leaf

　　Salt and pepper

　　

Step 1

In a thick-bottomed saucepan, sweat the onions in 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat until the onions are about one-third of their original volume and nicely colored. This should take about 15 minutes. Add the stock, sherry, vinegar, thyme, and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Simmer slowly for 20 minutes to blend the flavors.

　　

Step 2

Swirl in the remaining butter and correct the seasoning (with vinegar, too). Use immediately, or store in the fridge for up to 5 days.

　　Reprinted with permission from The Art of Living According to Joe Beef by Frédéric Morin, David McMillan & Meredith Erickson, copyright © 2011. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.