Say hi to Nichole!

Nichole comes all the way from Baltimore and started cooking out of necessity (to stop her eating burnt food).  Don't you just love it!  She's also the mother of two cats and the brains behind the blog Cookaholic Wife, which just happens to be my Secret Recipe Club partner for the month of July.

The recipe I've chosen from Nichole's HUGE list of recipes is one that is near and dear to my heart.  It's a French classic, it's the perfect dish for these cold Winter days we're experiencing here in Melbourne and it's my sort of comfort food at its very best.  It also happens to be one of the very first French dishes I tried my hand at.....

The Ultimate French Onion Soup

(original recipe from Cookaholic Wife Blog)

I did make a couple of little changes to Nichole's recipe, purely for my own taste buds.  This included using chicken stock instead of beef (I'm not a huge fan of beef stock and prefer the lightness that the chicken stock gives), as well as using a lot less flour - I've not enjoyed the flavour or texture a lot of flour has given to this soup in past recipes I've tried.

Maybe give both recipes a try and see which one you prefer?  I'd love to know.

Also, what do you think of my gorgeous little French onion soup bowls that survived the trek all the way from Provence, made by hand by the gorgeous and super talented Pascale (see here).