Photography Credit: Elise Bauer
Can there be something more comforting on the chilly day than the usual hot bowl of French onion soup? Particularly with a thick slice of bread toasted packed with melty Gruyere cheese and a lot of caramelized onions.
There's two essential aspects of a great French onion soup.
The very first is the stock. Your soup are only just like the stock you use. This soup typically is made from beef stock, though a good beef stock could be tricky to find and costly to create.
If you are using boxed stock, taste it first! Should you don’t such as the taste, don’t utilize it. (Should you prepare lots of beef or toast, save the scraps and freeze them to create a stock with later.)
The 2nd most significant element would be to correctly caramelize the onions. Caramelizing the quantity of onions necessary for this recipe will require a minimum of 40 minutes. Caramelizing is really a chemical process that happens when the sugars within the onions achieve a particular temperature.
This only happens following a lengthy cooking (adding some extra sugar can help). The greater caramelized, the much deeper the colour from the onions and also the more flavor you’ll receive from them.
Updated in the recipe archive. First published 2006.
French Onion Soup Recipe
- Prep time: ten minutes
- Prepare time: one hour, ten minutes
- Yield: Serves 4-6
A lot of the prosperity of this soup depends upon the stock that you're using, and stock varies tremendously in the taste. Based on your stock, you may want to boost the taste with a few beef bouillon (we advise "Much better than Bouillon brand").
Taste the soup before putting it within the oven, and when it requires more seasoning, you shouldn't be afraid to include more!
Ingredients
- 6 large red or yellow onions (about 3 pounds), peeled and thinly sliced root to stem (observe how to Slice an Onion ), about 10 glasses of sliced onions total
- 4 Tablespoons of Essential olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons of butter
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- Salt
- 2 cloves garlic clove, minced
- 8 glasses of beef stock, chicken stock. or a mix of the 2 (typically the soup is made from beef stock)
- 1/2 cup of dry vermouth or dry white-colored wine
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 teaspoons of fresh thyme (may also make use of a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme) OR 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 2 Tablespoons of brandy (optional)
- 8 inch-thick slices of French bread or baguette
- 1 1/2 glasses of grated Swiss Gruyere along with a sprinkling of Parmesan
Method
1 Caramelize the onions: Inside a five to six quart thick-bottomed pot, heat 3 tablespoons essential olive oil on medium heat. Add some onions and toss to coat using the essential olive oil.
Prepare the onions, stirring frequently, until they've softened, about 15-20 minutes.
Boost the heat to medium high. Add some remaining tablespoon of essential olive oil and also the butter and prepare, stirring frequently, before the onions begin to brown, about 15 more minutes.
Then sprinkle with sugar (to assist using the caramelization) and 1 teaspoon of salt and then prepare before the onions are very well browned, about ten to fifteen more minutes.
Add some minced garlic clove and prepare for any minute more.
2 Deglaze the pot with vermouth: Add some vermouth towards the pot and scrape in the browned bits at the base and sides from the pot, deglazing the pot along the way.
3 Add stock and seasonings: Add some stock, bay leaves, and thyme. Provide a simmer, cover the pot minimizing heat to keep a minimal simmer. Prepare for around half an hour.
Season to taste with increased salt and add freshly ground pepper. Discard the bay leaves. Add brandy if using.
4 Toast French bread slices: As the soup is simmering, line a sheet pan with parchment paper or foil and preheat the oven to 450°F having a rack within the upper third from the oven.
Brush each side from the French bread or baguette slices gently with essential olive oil (you'll finish up using in regards to a tablespoon . 5 of essential olive oil with this).
Make the oven and toast until gently browned, about five to seven minutes. Remove from oven.
Turn the toasts over and sprinkle using the grated Gruyere cheese and Parmesan. Go back to oven when it is near to serving some time and bake before the cheese is bubbly and gently browned.
5 Serve: For everyone, ladle soup right into a bowl and transfer one cheesy toast onto the top of the each bowl of soup.
Alternatively, you should use individual oven-proof bowls a treadmill large casserole dish. Ladle the soup in to the bowls or casserole dish. Cover using the toast and sprinkle with cheese. Put in the broiler for ten minutes at 350° F, or before the cheese bubbles and it is slightly browned.
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Showing 4 of 93 Comments
Appreciate an excellent recipe. I chose to make this today it had been scrumptious! Used to do lessen the dried thyme to at least oneOr2 teaspoon which was plenty when i’m not really a huge fan. I additionally used commercially made College Inn Beef Broth. It arrived on the scene wonderfully.
Absolutely scrumptious. Loved the instructions with pictures and video instructions. The only real substitute I made use of was Sherry because it is exactly what I'd on hands. All of us had second helpings!!
Oh, Elise. You won't ever neglect to dissatisfy me! Type of thinking onto it now, I'm sure the quantity of thyme in this may be halved. However I do like thyme, so &... Eh, undecided about this. However, the remainder of it&... my dear, I made use of your beef stock recipe using the bones leftover from your standing rib roast. The stock helps make the soup, folks. It truly does. My hubby destroyed two bowls before I possibly could blink. I’m searching toward getting the remains at lunch tomorrow.
Your reason behind caramelizing the onions was useful but using thyme would be a horrible mistake. I only used 1/4tsp and may not stand the smell or after that the flavour. I'll try causeing this to be again but won't I personally use thyme. Sorry but I have to be truthful
I chose to make this recipe tonight also it would be a hit! Adopted something to a T except I made use of veggie broth rather of beef and overlooked the vermouth. I additionally added a touch of Worcestershire sauce! Simply scrumptious! Is going to be causeing this to be again without a doubt. -)