Onion Broth

A plain onion velouté of the sort served along the Normandy coast, thickened with a little flour and finished with milk. The whole character depends on the onions never taking colour.

• Keep the onions paleParboiling first and then cooking them gently in butter is what keeps this broth white and sweet rather than brown and caramelised. Cover the pan and keep the heat low; if the onions or the flour take colour the soup turns muddy.
• "Toss in 1 ounce of butter"This means sweat them in about 2 tablespoons of butter, not deep-fry. Ten to fifteen minutes over low heat until quite soft.
• MeasuresA quart of stock is 4 cups, a pint of milk 2 cups. That gives roughly 6 cups of finished soup, or four generous servings.
• White stockAn unroasted chicken or fish stock, made without browning the bones so the colour stays pale. A good low-sodium chicken stock works; fish fumet gives the Dieppe version its point, and if you use it, keep the simmering brief so it does not turn bitter.
• The flourA tablespoon and a half of flour to a quart of stock plus a pint of milk is a very light bind — this is a broth, not a chowder. Stir the flour into the buttered onions and cook it a minute or two before the liquid goes in, or it will taste raw.
• Scald the milk separatelyThe instruction to add the milk hot is not decoration. Adding cold milk to hot floury stock cools the pan and can leave you with lumps.
• "Press through a sieve"A blender or stick blender does the work in seconds; pass it through a fine sieve afterwards for the smooth texture the original intends. Reheat gently and do not let it boil hard once the milk is in.
• Seasoning and the toastThe original salts the onions at the start; check the seasoning again once the milk is in. The parsley goes in with the onions in the original, but a little fresh chopped parsley over the bowl is worth adding. Serve the toast dry and cut thin, floated on top or handed separately.