French Onion Soup
French Onion Soup: a comforting classic with caramelized onions, savory broth, and melted cheese. Perfect for cozy nights or sophisticated dinner parties!
Equipment
- Normal Kitchen Utensils
Ingredients
- 4 Extra Large White or Yellow Onions Sliced Thin
- 6 C Beef Broth
- 6 Oz. Grated Swiss or Gruyère Cheese About 1/5 C
- 1/4 C Dry White Wine (Optional) but Recommended
- 8-12 Slices Baguette or French Bread 1 Inch Thickness
- 1/4 C All Purpose Flour
- 4 Tbsp Butter
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 2-3 Cloves Garlic Minced
- 1 tsp Salt Plus More to Taste
- 1 tsp Fresh Thyme Or 1/2 tsp Dry Thyme
- 1/2 tsp White Sugar
- 1 Bay Leaf
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, melt the butter and mix in the olive oil.
- Add the onions, sugar and 1 tsp of salt. Cook the onions for 45 minutes to one hour, stirring occasionally. until the onions are a deep caramel color. They should reduce down to about a fourth in volume. Watch them more closely as the end of the cook time nears, as they are more likely to burn. Don't let them char.
- Add the minced garlic and cook another minute, stirring occasionally.
- If using thing (optional) wine, deglaze the pot with it now. Let it reduce for two minutes.
- Add the flour to the pot and stir constantly for three minutes. The onions will begin to thicken into a paste.
- Add the beef broth one cup at a time, stirring constantly. Once one cup is mixed in, add another. If, after adding the broth, the soup is still pretty thick (like a gravy) add an extra C of water. You want it to be soup-like at this point. If it is still too thick, add up to one more C of water.
- Add the thyme and bay leaf and cover the soup. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While the soup simmers, heat your over to 350 degrees F. Toast the sliced French bread for 5-7 minutes, or until toasted to a golden brown.
- Once the soup has simmered, and the bread is toasted, remove the bay leaf and taste the soup for salt. Then prepare the bowls.
- Turn on your broiler. Divide the soup equally into four oven safe bowls (roughly 2.5 C per bowl)
- Divide the toasted bread into four and add equal amounts on top of the soup in each bowl. It should float.
- Top each bowl with a quarter of the grated cheese and place the bowls in the broiler (pro tip: place the bowls onto a baking sheet first). Broil for 2-3 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly, with just a little char on top.
- Serve immediately, being sure to warn your guests of the hot bowls.