Valentines Day is coming up and it’s already time to start planning for the perfect menu. Making a gourmet meal for your special someone doesn’t have to be an impossible task. Plan ahead, create a menu with food you love to eat and then do as much as you can in advance so that you can take it easy and just enjoy a great meal together. The Virtual Potluck is here to help you with a whole variety of dishes that you can choose from. We’ve also paired up with Taste fromThe N8tion to give you some drink pairings with your meal, and mine’s non-alcoholic!

I love french onion soup and yet this is the first time that I’ve ever made it myself. The key to good french onion soup is the beef stock that you use. Get the best that you can find, or better yet make some yourself. It’s easy to do and will create the best broth you’ll ever have. My wife and I volunteer at a local cooking school and one of the dishes they made at the last class was a braised oxtail to use in a pasta dish. Being the resourceful person that I am, I asked to take the leftover bones home with me. I threw them in a pot with some carrots, celery and onion, filled it with water and simmered it for about 14 hours. Strain it and then enjoy it in so many dishes, but nothing as good as French Onion Soup.

French Onion Soup

adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients

6 large onions (about 5 pounds), sliced thin
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
8 cups beef broth
twelve 1/2-inch-thick slices of French bread, cubed and toasted
3/4 pound coarsely grated Gruyère

Directions

In a large kettle cook the onions in the butter over moderate heat, stirring frequently, for 60-80 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Sprinkle the onions with the flour and cook the mixture, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the broth slowly, stir the soup constantly until it comes to a boil, and simmer it, covered, for 20 minutes. Season the soup with salt and pepper. Place a layer of bread cubes on top of the soup and sprinkle with gruyere. Place the bowl under a broiler until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

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Foodplayer Linda

I am sure you love food. Otherwise, you won’t be here. As a full-time and a part-time chef at a local restaurant, I know my way around food. Ever since I was a young girl, I enjoyed helping my mom in the kitchen.

We would often experiment with the spices, ingredients, and flavors and create great meals for my brothers and dad. Since cocking was my first passion, I decided to go in that direction. I finished culinary school, got my first job, and started developing my skills.

Later when kids came, I had all the liberty in the kitchen to combine some of the unique flavors. A lot of them were a success, but now and there I would make a couple of mistakes.