Inspiration for what to cook next comes from all around us.  Whether it’s fresh Dungeness crab that begs to become cioppino or a warm summer day that conjures up our inner grill master, we are but servants to the culinary cosmos.  For me, today’s lunch was inspired by a rainy Saturday and a crock.

You may be surprised to learn that despite the many kitchen dishes and gadgets I have, a suitable, ovenproof bowl to properly complete the cheese browning and, more importantly, the VISION of a proper french onion soup has been beyond my reach … until Christmas 2010 that is.  My Secret Santa delivered 8 white porcelain soup bowls that can deliver against expectations on this classic dish.  About that time, I also happened upon a recipe for French Onion Soup that I tucked away in my subconscious to try.

And today, finally, ample time and a rainy day coincided for me to give the recipe and new dishes a test drive.  I began the process of preparing the onions for the caramelizing.  Now two things of note, first, I didn’t have enough yellow onions on standby so I substituted a couple red onions in.  Second, in my culinary bravery, I set out to cut the onions without any culinary aids (burning candles or sunglasses).   After 1.5 onions, however, I set my pride aside and grabbed my new onion goggles to finish the job tearlessly.

Once the onions were prepped, my preheated French Oven was on standby ready to get to work for a couple hours.  It took over 1.5 hours to get the onions to caramelize using this method.  Finally, I popped off the lid on the pot to help finish the browning.  After deglazing the pan with some red wine, I added the thyme, stock, and other seasonings, and let the soup simmer.  I added some time here to slowly develop the flavor per great advice that I received during a culinary boot camp I took at the CIA.  I gradually added salt and pepper and after each addition left the soup to simmer for at least 5 minutes to give the flavors a chance to marry.  After three adjustments, the soup was ready to make it’s way into my new little white bowls topped with bread and cheese for a minute in the broiler.  The only thing left to do was pour a glass of the red wine that helped deglaze the pan and enjoy.

Anything in life can be your inspiration if you let it … even if it’s just a crock!