In 2004, Mireille Guiliano wrote a runaway hit called French Women Don't Get Fat. It was a non-diet book that encouraged women to think of food as a source of pleasure, not guilt, and to eat whatever they liked -- including bread and chocolate -- but to eat it sensibly rather than wolfing it down in a miasma of deprivation and remorse. I plan to follow Mireille Guiliano's lead as I tackle French onion soup today, an incredibly fattening bowl of Frenchy goodness built on beef stock and sweet caramelized onions, topped off with bread and a gooey dome of melted Gruyere. I will eat it slowly and I will savor each morsel (which will presumably keep me from gaining two pounds over lunch) and I will decide who makes the better one -- Zinc or Sophie's.
See also: -Gateau Chocolat at Zinc Bistro -Best French Restaurant 2012: Christopher's and Crush Lounge
Of course, the French do not call this soup "French onion" because that would be silly. In France, it's merely soupe à l'oignon or soupe á l'oignon gratinée. So let's get started.
