Jim Drohman was an aerospace engineer at Boeing, but his heart wasn't in it.
When he turned his attention to cooking, it was with a highly technical, extremely thorough mind: How did the French build their classic flavors, each element of a recipe relying upon and enhancing the others?
He went to the source to study, training at L'Ecole Superieur de Cuisine Francaise Jean Ferrandi in Paris, working at restaurants including Le Boudin Sauvage and the Michelin-rated Le Coq de la Maison Blanche. Upon his return, he helmed the kitchen of Seattle's storied, much-missed Campagne. Then, in 2000, he joined forces with business partner Joanne Herron to give us the gift of the restaurant Le Pichet. Later came its sibling, Cafe Presse.
When you see French onion soup on the Pichet or Presse menu _ which you will every winter, until the chill is well-dispelled in April _ you may rest assured that it is the product of intensive thought. Drohman eschews the common Parisian style, made with beef stock, in favor of the chicken-stock-based mode of Lyon; the lighter flavor of the latter, he maintains, better showcases the taste of the onions. You also may rest assured that it is delicious, with the simple flavors of onion and broth augmented with not just white wine, but also sherry, and garlic, and thyme, and something he and his staff call "duck Jell-O" _ "the gelatin-rich duck juices that are left in the bottom of the pot when slow-cooking duck legs for confit," an addition he says is "typical of the French bistro kitchen, where nothing tasty is ever allowed to go to waste."
Unless you're making duck confit at home, your version of Drohman's soupe a l'oignon gratinee won't be quite as rich as the bowlsful you'll get at Le Pichet or Cafe Presse. But you'll still have the sweet slipperiness of the caramelized onions; the bright, winey-tasting broth; the crispy-edged bread growing marvelously broth-logged; the nutty, creamy cheese pulling in strings from your spoon. And for the Seattle Times reader who wrote in search of vegetarian French onion soup, Drohman was kind enough to share the engineering behind the best vegetable stock for the job.
Whichever way you decide to make it _ or if you decide to let Le Pichet or Cafe Presse do the honors _ this is a soup that will keep you warm until spring is really, truly here, year after year.
