French Onion Soup
The Best French Onion Soup Ever!
Yields: 4 main course servings or 8 appetizer servings
Ingredients
- 3 T butter
- 1 T rendered bacon fat
- 5 medium to large onions (2 sweet, 2 yellow, 1 red or any mix)
- 2 shallots
- 4 garlic cloves
- 8 thyme sprigs, tied together with kitchen twine
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 c dry white wine
- 1/2 c cooking sherry
- 1/2 c brandy
- 32 oz chicken stock, homemade if you have it. The rest of us mortals use store bought- It's fine
- 4 1/2" thick slices rustic french bread cut to fit your soup crocks or bowls
- 8 oz grated gruyere cheese
Instructions
- Melt butter and bacon fat in large, wide bottom pot
- Trim the ends of onions and shallots and discard outer layers. Cut in half and then slice into thin (1/8") half moon slices
- add a layer of onions to the pot, then sprinkle with salt. Repeat with remainder of onions and salt.
- Cook onions and shallots down until golden brown and caramelized about 45 minutes- stirring occasionally and scraping any browned bit from the bottom of the pot.
- Add garlic and cook additional 3 minutes.
- Add brandy and allow to reduce about 10 minutes.
- Add cooking sherry and white wine and cook until reduced by half- about 15 minutes.
- Add the chicken stock, thyme bundle and bay leaf
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer about 25 minutes.
- Fish out thyme bundle and bay leaf and discard.
- Meanwhile distribute about 2 oz of the cheese in the bottom of 4 oven-safe soup crocks
- Fill crocks with soup.
- Float bread slice on soup crocks and top with remainder of the cheese.
- Place crocks on a baking sheet and place under broiler until cheese is melted, bubbly and golden brown.
- If you don't have oven safe soup crocks, you can toast the cheesy croutons separately on a baking sheet and place on top of pre filled soup bowls.
- Enjoy!
- Preparation time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: 90 minutes