Cream of Onion Soup

Another onion soup, you ask? For others, go to One Click: Onion Soup or Onion Soup: One Click.

Long story, cut short: So when I tried to hoist the bag, my knees buckled and it wouldn’t budge. “This is the heaviest bag of onions I’ve ever tried lifting,” I thought to myself. 

“Need help with those onions?”

Ooo-la-laaah! Ripping muscles. Smiling eyes. Name tag … OK, name tag with the supermarket’s name, but you can’t have everything. He ignored the carts he’d been corralling and raised his eyebrows as if to ask “Well ..?” 

Suddenly, I was channeling Marilyn Monroe’s breathy voice: “Ohhhh … How sweet of you! If you wouldn’t mind … I just feel so …so weak.”

“No wonder you feel weak!” he said. “This bag of onions weighs 50 pounds!”

“Fifty - whaaaa?” I’d thought the bag was a really, re-ee-lly heavy 25-pounder. At less than $9 for the whole bag, I thought it was an amazing sale at 25 pounds. At 50 pounds, it was extraordinary. Mr. Muscles had already picked up the bag, whisked me through the check-out, and deposited the thing in the trunk of my car for Ron to deal with later. He was gorgeous (Ron … yeah, Ron!) and I was too embarrassed to say I’d make a mistake. Fifty pounds! Each of those onions was a monster - bigger than a softball! 

Fifty pounds of onions for $9 bucks. Breathtaking!

So we’ve been using a lot of onions, lately. And sharing them with the neighbors and our family. And hoping someone might break in and steal them from the back porch. 

Live with it. You’re getting another onion soup recipe. Play your cards right, and it may even be a different recipe from the ones I’ve already given you. This one’s remarkably quick to make, and lip-licking delicious.

Cream of Onion Soup:

¼ c. (60 mL) butter or margarine

1 tbsp. (15 mL) canola or olive oil

2-to-2-½ c. (500-to-625 mL) coarsely chopped onions

1-½ tbsp.(15-to-23 mL) all-purpose flour

½ tsp. (2.5 mL) salt

1 c. (250 mL) evaporated milk

3 c. (750 mL) poultry stock (see How to Make Poultry Stock)

4 egg yolks, beaten

Additional salt and pepper, to taste

Dash Worcestershire sauce

Parsley, as garnish (optional)

In large, heavy-based pot over medium-high heat, melt butter and oil together. Add onions all at once, stirring constantly and gradually lowering heat to medium-low. When onions are soft and start to yellow, add combined flour and salt, stirring 1 min. Gradually stir in evaporated milk and stock, heating between additions and stirring until mixture begins to thicken. 

Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender, 5-to-10 min. Stir about a cup of hot soup into yolks. Turn heat under pot off. Immediately add warmed yolk mixture to soup in pot, stirring well until heated through. Taste for seasoning, adding Worcestershire sauce. Garnish if desired. Serves 4.

Cook onions in butter and oil until soft and pale yellow.

Slowly add evaporated milk and broth to onion-flour mixture.

Simmer, covered, on low heat.

Whisk four egg yolks ...

Add a little hot soup to beaten yolks.

Deliciously creamy … just as onion soup lovers desire!