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The French onion soup at Main Road Biscuit Co. is the perfect way to warm up on gray days. (Credit: Cyndi Zaweski)

The French onion soup at Main Road Biscuit Co. in Jamesport should be considered requisite winter dining. It is standout in the French onion category — most notably for its rich consistency, warming the soul upon first spoonful.

Owner Marissa Drago added the house-made soup to the menu shortly after opening in the fall of 2016. It was an instant customer favorite and a lunch mainstay ever since.

The recipe is rooted in Drago’s childhood and provides a feeling of homey comfort on dreary gray days.

“My mother was not a very good cook, but she did make French onion soup really well,” Drago said with a laugh. “We adapted that recipe for what would work here.”

Slow cooked sweet onions are at the heart of the recipe.  The onions are rendered in bacon fat in a flat pan to ensure they are cooked evenly. Fresh herbs are added along with veal stock-based demi-glace to achieve the thick consistency — no watery broth here — and savory taste with a hint of sweetness.

“It really gives it that richness you’d want in French onion soup,” she said. “Some people use beef stock or make it vegetarian … we tested it multiple ways and feel this is the flavor we were aiming for in a soup.”

Drago also eschews the traditional French baguette pairing — this is Main Road Biscuit Co., so the soup is topped with a freshly baked biscuit.

“The thing that makes it special is that we top it with a biscuit,” she said. “That is an added bonus. It is unique to Main Road Biscuit Co.”

The soup is finished with perfectly melted gruyere and served up piping hot in an eye-catching soup crock.

“That is they way I always ate it growing up,” she said. “We tried serving it in a bowl for a month, but it was not going to work. The soup crock is how my mom did it.”

The French onion soup can be satisfying on its own for a lighter lunch. If you’re looking for something a little more, Drago recommends pairing it with the grilled chicken sandwich or sprouts and kale salad.

Main Road Biscuit is located at 1601 Main Road in Jamesport. Visit them at mainroadbiscuitco.com. North Fork Cozy is a series of articles we’ll be publishing about the ways we get cozy on the North Fork each winter. Check back each Wednesday into March to see what we’ll highlight next. Have a tip, email [email protected].

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