What food pairs well with French Onion soup?

Question

A question for all the foodies out there...

I am a quite decent cook, and I just found out that my girlfiend loves French Onion soup (which I make a very nice version of). I'd love to make it for a special evening for her, however, I'm curious about what sorts of other dishes to pair it with. I'm, sadly, a student on a pretty limited budget, and I live in England, which means some ingredients typical to Americans aren't available here.

The best answer will be one that pairs well with the dish, is not terribly expensive, and whose ingredients I can get in the UK. Bonus points if you attach or link to a good recipe.

Thanks!

Answer 1

well you could continue on the slightly french theme...... but more french inspired rather than anything else.

Seeing the soup is quite light (always good to serve with crusty white bread.... but youve probably already thought of that) i would go for a potato gratin......

eg. slices of potato in a baking dish with garlic and cheese in between each layer. possibly add some rosemary. cook at about 180 for about 45mins. microwave/boil potatos first

serve this with some organic lamb shanks and mushrooms....

eg. easy way to do these is to put lamb shanks in baking dish and cover with mushrooms and stock and one red onion. then leave to cook for anything between 2 and 3hours with some foil over the top. really tender and tasty. (dont know where in uk you live but islington has a really great farmers market that sells these)

or

a nice piece of roast pork (again, served with the potato gratin)

both of these are incredibly easy to do. they basically cook themselves. so as the food is in the oven creating amazing aromas around the both of you, you can both comfortably sit over a glass of something equally aromatic. cause you dont want to be spending more time in front of the oven rather than her!!

i think its so lovely your cooking a special meal for your girlfriend

i think its even more lovely that your thinking about it enough to make it special

have a fabulous romantic evening!!!

Answer 2

I know that this is very simple...you are probably looking for something more involved...but, if you serve the soup for lunch, you could serve it with grilled swiss cheese sandwiches. I would use a bread that was a little sweet...it brings out the flavor in the cheese and is a nice contrast to the soup.

Answer 3

why don't you make the soup the star and just serve small side dishes along with the soup?
we always have a nice piece of bread sitting in the bottom of the bowl with the soup poured over it. plus we have another piece of bread with melted cheese floating on top of the soup. it's nice for presentation and all that bread makes it a satisfying meal. just make a decadent dessert and your friend will walk away very satisfied. i can suggest sticky date pudding, served warm with toffee sauce and ice cream. thats very rich dessert and it's perfect following a fairly light meal. and did i mention it's unbelievably delicious. yummm
i hope i helped :)

Answer 4

The soup itself would be a starter. It would pair well with ANYTHING. Try to go classic and serve it with an interesting salad and sandwich. Interesting = cool ingredients that are uncommon/interesting to impress your girl. :)

Answer 5

French Kissing!

Answer 6

a nice cheese and some bread would be nice....maybe a green salad.

you could serve the soup in a bread bowl...that always make a nice presentation.

Good luck

Answer 7

Shrimp Casserole

This can be made with any combination of seafood, such as scallops, crab or lobster. Serve with green beans and endive salad.

3/4 cup long-grain rice*
1 egg white
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
3 tbsp butter
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cup fresh brown onions, sliced
1 cup celery, sliced
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
1/2 tsp dried dillweed
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 lb raw unpeeled shrimp
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup gruyere, shredded
2 tsp lemon rind, grated
1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs

In saucepan, bring 1-1/2 cups salted water to boil. Stir in rice; cover and simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes or until tender and water is absorbed.

Remove from heat; stir in egg white and 1 tbsp of the parsley. Press mixture into bottom of greased 8-inch square baking dish or other shallow heat proof casserole with same volume; set aside.

Meanwhile, in nonstick skillet, melt 1 tbsp of the butter over medium-high heat; cook garlic, onions and celery, stirring, for about 5 minutes or just until vegetables start to brown.

Stir in onions, dill and 1/4 tsp each of the salt and pepper; cook over high heat for about 2 minutes or until lightly browned. transfer to large bowl.

Whip out skillet; pour in 2 cups water and bring to simmer. Cook shrimp for about 1 minute or just until pink. Reserve 1 cup of liquid, rinse shrimp under cold running water. Shell and devein shrimp; arrange over rice in baking dish.

In heavy saucepan, melt remaining butter over medium heat; stir in flour. Cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes, without browning; gradually whisk in reserved liquid and milk. Cook, stirring, for about 20 minutes or until thickened.

Remove from heat; stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese, lemon rind and remaining salt and pepper until cheese is melted. Stir into vegetable mixture along with remaining parsley; pour over shrimp in baking dish. [Can be prepared to this point, covered and refrigerated for up to 1 day. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.]

In small bowl, stir together remaining cheese and bread crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over casserole.

Bake in 325F 160C oven for 40-50 minutes or until heated through.

Broil for about 2 minutes or until top is golden. Let stand for 15 minutes.

*For added color, substitute 1/4 cup wild rice for long-grain rice. (cook wild rice for 30 minutes before adding long-grain rice.)

Answer 8

burgers!