French Onion Soup
Onions are truly magical - add a little heat and some time and they transform into an explosion of flavor! With a little help from some beef stock, white wine, and thyme - this is one of my favorite soups of all time. My husband and I first started making it from scratch about 10 years ago. He was practicing his knife skills and had julienned all these onions and this was the best recipe to use them up! We were so shocked at how flavorful and delicious the soup was when you make it at home. There was always this mystery when you ordered it at a restaurant of how it was made but it is quite simple. This recipe is where landed after combining a few other recipes and tweaking it to our liking. Enjoy!
Oh and another bonus - you get to drink the rest of the bottle of wine while the soup is simmering…
INGREDIENTS:
6 large yellow onions (about 3 pounds), peeled and thinly sliced root to stem
3 tablespoons garlic
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup white wine (I use sauvignon blanc)
2 quarts beef stock
1 teaspoon dried thyme
5 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon champagne vinegar
lots of fresh cracked pepper
French baguette sliced 1-inch thick
Olive Oil, S&P to season the bread
1 1/2 cups of grated Swiss Gruyere
INSTRUCTIONS
In a large thick-bottomed pot (something with a large surface area on the bottom), heat the sliced onions on medium. Some recipes ask that you add olive oil/butter/sugar - you do not need anything! The onions will caramelize all on their own. You may have to remove some of the moisture that the onions give off from time to time.
Cook the onions, stirring often, until they have softened, about 30 minutes.
Increase the heat to medium high. Add the butter and continue to cook, stirring often, until the onions are done caramelizing (fully browned) about 15 more minutes.
Add the minced garlic and cook for a minute more.
Deglaze the pot with the white wine - scrape up the browned bits on the bottom and sides of the pot, deglazing the pot as you go.
Add the stock, bay leaves, and thyme (dried and fresh). Bring to a simmer, cover the pot and lower the heat to maintain a low simmer.
Add the Worcestershire, soy, and black pepper and cook for about 30 minutes.
Season to taste with more salt and add freshly ground black pepper. Discard the bay leaves and thyme twigs. Finish with a splash of champagne vinegar.
Toast French bread slices
While the soup is simmering, line a sheet pan with parchment paper or foil and preheat the oven to 450°F with a rack in the upper third of the oven.
Brush both sides of the French bread or baguette slices lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Put in the oven and toast until lightly browned, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Turn the toasts over and sprinkle with the grated Gruyere cheese and Parmesan. Return to oven when it's close to serving time and bake until the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned. (Or you can use a searzall if you’re feeling feisty).
To serve, ladle soup into a bowl and transfer two cheesy toasts onto the top of each bowl of soup and fish thyme for garnish.
Bon Appetit!
