Julia Child’s recipe is the best. This soup does take time and attention. It is featured in The Way To Cook, reference it in cookbooks on my site.
I spent my life savings to go to cooking school at ICE, Institute for Culinary Education. Back then it was Peter Kump’s New York Cooking School (aka PKU). After grade school, middle school, high school and a college degree it was my favorite school experience.
Graduation was dependent upon an internship (unpaid) for four weeks. They tried to set me up at a yacht club in New Rochelle where I was supposed to microwave hot dogs for bratty four year-olds. I didn’t see my life savings going in a good way with that offer.
So I drove to California and worked for Margaret Fox at Cafe Beaujolais, 5-gallon bucket at my feet to catch carrot peels that the organic farmers picked up every night. Fresh-caught Pacific salmon to cook for staff meal. Freshly picked chanterelles delivered to our door. A view of red chard and the Pacific ocean from the sink. Work for free? If I could have afforded it I would have paid Margaret. As it was rentals (cabin and car) took nearly all the money I had and the rest went to wood for the stove which only burned until about 2:00 a.m.
I worked nearly every station in that month, while I nearly froze in my country cabin. I spent a lot of time in the Brickery, with a wood-fired pizza oven. While there I had a large sink to wash salad greens and keep my hands clean at all times. There was a beautiful vegetable garden there and a view of the Pacific Ocean. There were always challenges at hand and I learned a great deal and taught younger cooks a bit as well.
After meeting Diana Kennedy and having terrific learning experiences in the kitchen, I drove to my new home in southern California. I got a job at a four-star hotel and was given the pants and jacket of a 300-lb. man, pants to be held up by a rope. I worked there for two days, scraping cheese off lion-headed French onion soup bowls after they’d gone through the dishwasher.
Sixteen hours, then I quit. I broke my finger after interviewing for another job, which I was offered but couldn’t use my knives for six weeks.
So, when I bought these two Emile Henry lion-head soup bowls for Jim and me today it was with some trepidation. Most of the labels came off, but I had to soak a few for a while and scrape them with fingernails and it brought back memories.
They’re clean now, and in a good place so that in a few weeks if I want to make Julia’s French onion soup with croutons and gruyere, I’m ready. Always ready for the next challenge. Cheers! Dee
Cooking with Dee 
Recipe is also in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, also in my Cook Books section, page 42. Dee
I make fire!
Jim got me the real hardware store torch. Tell Alton Brown we’ve got the real thing! While I got to peruse pricey Sur La Table, he was at the hardware store getting the good stuff. Love you, dear. Dee
I want to see the soup bowls!
They are now on the “Nun Desk,” given to us from a local Catholic school after they moved down the street. It is covered by a Pashmina scarf from Turkey, the bowls with Chinese spoons, other family memorabilia including the rosary my parents gave me for my First Communion. I will take a photo for you.
Here they are, with ramekins for making coddled eggs or creme brulee, and what Jim thought were soup spoons but may be tasting or caviar spoons.
I can’t post it here so look at the Front Page. Dee
Paul Grimes, our main instructor for our final six weeks of 9-5 culinary training, spent summers with Simone “Simca” Beck, partner in Mastering the Art of French Cooking (I and II) and neighbor to fellow chef and author Julia Child. Many of our cooking school recipes are Simca’s. Paul can be found today at Gourmet Magazine. Dee