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Prep Time: 0 Minutes Cook Time: 5 Minutes |
Ready In: 5 Minutes Servings: 8 |
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There are more versions of French Onion Soup than I think any other recipe. This is a simple yet delicious way to marry the ingredients. I make this all the time and it is very popular in restaurants I have worked. Ingredients:
french onion soup |
6 large sweet onions |
1 stick of unsalted butter |
1 quart of good beef stock |
2 cups good chicken stock |
2 bay leafs |
a bit of dry sherry or dry white wine...about 1/2 cup |
salt, pepper and pepper flakes to taste. |
good french bread |
butter for coating the baguettes or french bread rounds |
gruyere, emmentaler and or jarlsberg cheese |
Directions:
1. Slice the onions in half. Peel and slice into half moons about 1/4 inch across
2. Place the butter (1 stick) into a good dutch oven or heavy bottomed pan that can go in the oven.
3. Add the onions and allow to cook for about 40 minutes on medium stirring occasionally. Do not cover
4. When most of the liquid is reduced stir the onions and put the pan in a preheated 400 degree oven. Leave the lid partially off and let cook for one hour. If you do not have a good dutch oven do this stove top. Stir a couple of times. Cook until brown and caramelized.
5. Add (if You prefer) some sherry or white wine cook for 5 minutes add the chicken stock and cook for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Reduce liquid. Add the beef broth/stock cook over med heat until desired consistency is reached. I like mine 1/2 onion 1/2 stock.
6. Brown some buttered bread rounds....I use one for the bottom and cut a large one to cover the soup so as to lay the cheese over.
7. Turn on broiler or light up a torch. Remove the breads from the oven. Put one on the bottom pour soup over to almost the top. Add large crouton on top and drape four slices of whatever cheese you prefer making sure they hang over the crocks sides. Use heat proof bowls. Straight sides.
8. Broil until golden, crisp brown. Be very careful removing. Sprinkle with a bit of Fresh parsley.
9. As Cheese can be very expensive, you can use a less expensive version of Swiss but I would add a slice of provolone or even mozzarella for the flavor.
10. Simplified.....add onion to pan with butter, cook for two hours on stove top stirring on occasion. Add bay and broths and cook for another 30 minutes. Finish off with the breads and broil with the cheese on top.
11. The trick is to caramelize the onions....the rest is just the broth and the breads and cheeses.
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