Today Brenda and I took the dogs for a short hike up a nearby mountain.  When we returned we had worked up a pretty good appetite and at this time of the year with the cooler weather there is nothing better than a bowl of French Onion Soup.  Here's the recipe we love:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 4 large onions, sliced and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1/2 Tbs Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp parsley
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup red wine, about 1/2 bottle
• 3 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 quarts beef broth
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• 1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1 baguette, sliced
• 1/2 pound grated Gruyere or Swiss

Instructions:

• Melt the stick of butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, Italian seasoning, parsley and salt and pepper and cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized, about 25 minutes.
• Add the wine, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the wine has evaporated and the onions are dry, about 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Dust the onions with the flour and give them a stir. Turn the heat down to medium low so the flour doesn't burn, and cook for 10 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.
• Add the beef broth, Worcestershire, bouillon and water, bring the soup back to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
• When you're ready to eat, preheat the broiler. Ladle the soup in bowls float the baguette slices on top sprinkle the slices with the Gruyere or Swiss and broil until bubbly and golden brown.

Brenda found this recipe for tres leche shortcake last week so we gave it a try.  Wow!  what a difference the super moist tres leche cake makes over a traditionally dry shortcake. This recipe is definitely worth trying.

Ingredients:

For the Shortcake:

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup buttermilk

For the Tres Leche:

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 can evaporated milk
• 1/2 can sweetened condensed milk

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter an 8 x 8 pan, then line with parchment paper.
• Whisk together the dry ingredients.  Place the softened butter and the sugar in a mixing bowl. Using the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating each until just combined. Mix in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternating with the buttermilk in three stages. Mix until each addition is well incorporated, taking care not to over beat.
• Scrape the cake batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Place on the middle rack in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown and the center springs back.
• Let the cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then take it out let it cool some more on a cooling rack.
• Once completely cool, cut the cake into 9 squares.  Using a wooden skewer, poke holes all over the surface of the cake. This will help the cake absorb the tres leche mixture more evenly.
• For the tres leche, combine the milk, evaporated milk, and sweetened condensed milk in a bowl. Dip each piece of cake into the tres leche mixture.  Gently flip the cake to make sure that both sides have evenly absorbed the liquid.  If you soak it for too long, the cake will be too soggy and fall apart.  But if you don’t soak it long enough, the cake will not be moist enough.
• Place the soaked cake onto the baking sheet until you’re ready to assemble the dessert. This step can be done ahead of time, just wrap well and refrigerate.
• Using a metal spatula, transfer one of the pieces of cake onto a dessert plate.  Pile on sliced strawberries, top with fresh whipped cream and drizzle with some strawberry syrup.