High-Flying French Onion Soup

A bright star in LA’s burgeoning cannabis dining scene, Andrea Drummer was named one of the top 10 pot chefs by Green State and has received praise from Vogue, National Geographic and the Los Angeles Times. A pioneer of combining weed with haute cuisine, Drummer graduated from Le Cordon Bleu before joining master chef Neal Fraser at respected restaurants including Vibiana and Redbird, as well as the Ritz-Carlton.

Full of fantastic recipes that are designed for the home cook, Drummer’s new book, Cannabis Cuisine: Bud Pairings of a Born Again Chef, will teach you how to elevate your cuisine and work with the flavor of cannabis rather than seeking to cover it up. With wisdom distilled from her years running Elevation VIP Cooperative, Drummer designs custom menus, dialing in THC dosage to create bespoke experiences for private clients.

This High-Flying French Onion Soup is a savory way to feature cannabis as a nourishing ingredient that fits well with the flavors of creamy cheeses, rich caramelized onions and crunchy croutons. Staying in on a cold night while curled up by a warm fire and supping on this indulgent soup is an amazing way to get high!

Yields seven servings at 30 milligrams of THC per serving (depending on the strength of your cannabutter).

High-Flying French Onion Soup: Ingredients

• 2 pounds yellow onions (sliced thin)
• 1 tbsp. cooking oil
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1 tbsp. clean cannabutter (210 milligrams per tablespoon)
• ½ tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 tbsp. flour
• 6 cups veal stock
• 1 cup Blue Moon Belgian White (or other Belgium ale)
• ½ cup sherry
• 1 tbsp. rosemary (chopped fine)
• 1 tbsp. shallots (minced)
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ tsp. ground sage
• Kosher salt to taste
• 12 oz. gruyere cheese (grated)
• 4 oz. fontina cheese (grated)
• 2 oz. Colby Jack cheese (grated)
• ½ yellow onion (raw)
• 2–3 tbsp. cognac
• Croutons (see “House Made Croutons” recipe in Cannabis Cuisine)
• 4 tbsp. olive oil (for drizzling)

High-Flying French Onion Soup: Directions

Place a heavy-bottom stockpot over medium-low heat. Add cooking oil, butter and cannabutter to pot. Add sliced onions and stir until they are evenly coated with the oil. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes until they are very tender and translucent. Then, to caramelize the onions, turn heat under the stockpot to medium or medium-high heat. Add sugar and salt and continue to cook uncovered, stirring frequently until the onions have browned and reduced significantly.

Once caramelized, reduce heat to medium-low and add flour to the onions. Brown the flour for about two to three minutes, taking care not to scorch it. (If the flour does not form a thick paste, add a bit more butter.) Stir in about a cup of warm stock, scraping the cooked-in bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the rest of the stock and the beer, sherry, sage and bay leaf to the soup. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the cognac and grate the raw onion into the soup, and then transfer it to seven individual small oven-safe bowls. Add a few ounces of the gruyere cheese directly into the soup and stir. Place the croutons in a single layer on top of the soup. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese in a thick layer on top of the croutons, making sure to cover the edges of the bread to prevent burning. Drizzle with a little oil or melted butter. Place in a 350°F oven for about 30 minutes. To finish, place under the broiler and brown the cheese.