4 or 5 onions, sliced 4 or 5 tablespoons butter 1 quart stock or canned consomme 1 quart bouillon made from dissolving 4 or 5 cubes Rounds of toasted French bread 1-1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

Saute onions in butter in a roomy saucepan until light golden, and pour the stock over.  When heated put in a larger casserole, add the bouillon, season to taste and heat to boiling point.  Let simmer 15 minutes and serve in deep well-heated soup plates, the bottoms covered with rounds of toasted French bread which have been heaped with freshly grated Parmesan and browned under the broiler.  More cheese is served for guests to sprinkle on as desired.

At gala parties, where wine flows, a couple of glasses of champagne are often added to the bouillon.

In the famed onion soup au gratin at Les Halles in Paris, grated Gruyere is used in place of Parmesan.  They are interchangeable in this recipe.

AMERICAN CHEESE SOUPS

In this era of fine canned soups a quick cheese soup is made by heating cream of tomato soup, ready made, and adding finely grated Swiss or Parmesan to taste.  French bread toasted and topped with more cheese and broiled golden makes the best base to pour this over, as is done with the French onion soup above.

     The same cheese toasts are the basis of a simple milk-cheese
     soup, with heated milk poured over and a seasoning of salt,
     pepper, chopped chives, or a dash of nutmeg.

 Chicken Cheese Soup

Heat together 1 cup milk, 1 cup water in which 2 chicken bouillon cubes have been dissolved, and 1 can of condensed cream of chicken soup.  Stir in 1/4 cup grated American Cheddar cheese and season with salt, pepper, and plenty of paprika until cheese melts.

     Other popular American recipes simply add grated cheese to lima
     bean or split bean soup, peanut butter soup, or plain cheese soup
     with rice.

Imported French marmites are de rigueur for a real onion soup au gratin, and an imported Parmesan grinder might be used for freshly ground cheese.  In preparing, it is well to remember that they are basically only melted cheese, melted from the top down.

CHEESE SALADS

     When a Frenchman reaches the salad he is resting and in no hurry. 
     He eats the salad to prepare himself for the cheese.

     Henri Charpentier, Life & la Henri,

 Green Cheese Salad Julienne

Take endive, water cress and as many different kinds of crisp lettuce as you can find and mix well with Provolone cheese cut in thin julienne strips and marinated 3 to 4 hours in French dressing.  Crumble over the salad some Blue cheese and toss everything thoroughly, with plenty of French dressing.

 American Cheese Salad