French Onion Soup
I just love a bowl of rich onion soup topped with a cheesy crouton. It takes some patience to get it right but its worth the effort. Rich beef broth makes the base but if you insist you can use vegetable broth. I’ve used a mixture of yellow and red onions, just yellow or just red all to great success so mix it up a bit if you want.
Take your time carmelizing the onions. They should be well cooked but not burnt. It can take up to an hour to get them done right. Its a great soup to have going on the stove when you are in the kitchen preparing for canning or prepping ready to cook dehydrated meals. Use a wide and deep pan for this soup, you want to give the onions plenty of space while they are cooking.
Use good quality beef stock. This isn’t the time for bullion water. If your stock is a little thin add a tablespoon or two of flour to the onions just before adding the stock. If you are buying canned stock make sure to purchase stock and not broth which is too thin to do this soup justice. I’ve also used a mixture of beef consume and broth when I was desperate.
Let’s talk bread. French onion soup without the crouton is so sad I can hardly talk about it. Use a good sturdy bread that can hang out in the soup without dissolving into a gooey mess in thirty second. Any bread will absorb the soup eventually but you want to have enough time to toast the cheese. For a twist try a strong tasting bread like rye or pumpernickel. I prefer to stay with the classic baguette. If in doubt about your bread, butter both side, top with cheese and toast it in the oven until the cheese is browned. Then you can dish up the soup and place the crouton and cheese in the bowl at the table instead of the classic preparation. This technique has the advantage of making it really easy to go back for seconds but you miss out on that toasty ring of cheese around the bowl.
Finally, the cheese! Gruyere is the classic choice, however it can be tough to find sometimes. If you need to substitute you can try Beaufort, Conte, Emmethal or Jarlsberg. Budget friendly and readily available “Swiss” cheese from the deli can work as well. Shredded or grated works better than slices.
French Onion Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 lbs thinly sliced yellow onions (about 5 or 6 medium sized)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- ½ cup dry white wine (optional)
- 8 cups beef stock
- 2 whole bay leaves
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme (or ½ tsp dried thyme)
- salt and pepper to taste
- baguette or other sturdy bread
- 4 cups shredded Gruyere cheese or substitute
Instructions
- In a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, heat butter and olive oil over low heat. Add onions, stirring well to coat the onions in the butter. Cover and cook until the onions are softened and are translucent. Stir occasionally and don't rush this part, it can take 15-20 minutes.
- Turn heat up to medium and add sugar and salt. Saute about 15 minutes until onions are a deep rich brown color.
- Add flour and garlic, cook 2-3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with wine or one cup beef stock. Make sure you scrape up all the tasty little brown bits from the bottom.
- Slowly add the beef stock. Add bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer soup for at least 30 minutes.
- Pre-heat oven to 425° Fahrenheit.
- Remove bay leaves before serving. Divide soup into individual servings in oven-proof bowls. Top with bread cubes or slices, add generous amounts of shredded cheese. Place bowls on a rimmed baking sheet (don't want them sliding off at the last minute!). Bake until the cheese is lightly browned on top, about 8 minutes but keep an eye on it because ovens can vary. Garnish with fresh, minced thyme.