Is the top choice actually a mashup of two classics?
Others are brothy amateurs, cooks who mostly make versions of the dish to warm up come winter.
But we know who can: chefs.
Photo:Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Jennifer WendorfI
And there was a powerful through line among all the answers.
You thought it was going to be chicken?
But when the weather turns colder, he starts running for beefy broth.
But meaty pho is a nostalgic favorite for Correll.
He also has a location for his spice-forward menu in Charleston, South Carolina.
He says that the soup he eats the most often isnt his beloved curry mee, but pho.
I always go with dac biet, which translates to special, he says.
It has all the cuts of beef, which I love …
But he says French onion is his other favorite.
They are both equally complex, comforting and most importantly, delicious, he says.
How to Make the Mashup
The key to cooking French onion soup?
Just look at ourSlow-Cooker French Onion Soup with Gruyere Toasts.
We build up the flavor of the beef-based broth and caramelized onions for 12 hours.
Want to make it a mashup with pho like Tang does?
Its all in the aromatics.
After all, as he points out, both soups hinge on long-stewed beef bones.
Both have cooked onions, tootheyre caramelized in French onion soup and heavily charred in pho.
Both descend from French traditions, but Vietnamese herbs and spices are what make us love pho so much.
Pho often benefits from the inclusion of cinnamon, cardamom, coriander, and fennel to flavor it.
Licorice-like star anise is a common inclusion, too.
We finish it with some crunchy sourdough croutons and melted Parmesan and Gruyere.
The Bottom Line
At any time of year, chefs love a beefy soup.
If youre in a pinch, you might buy pre-made broth, but theres nothing quite like homemade.
The result could be your own Michelin-worthy meal.
