French Onion Soup
Nothing warms and satisfies the soul like this classic soup!
Ingredients
- For the Soup:
- 10 cups Beef Stock or Consommé
- 4# Yellow or Sweet Onions, peeled & thinly sliced, about 4 large
- 1TB Garlic paste
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 4 sprigs fresh Thyme, or ½ tsp.+ dried Thyme
- 2 tsp. Smoked Paprika
- 2 TB. Flour
- 1 tsp. Ground White Pepper (or fresh ground black)
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 TB kosher salt. more if desired
- --------------------
- To Assemble:
- 4 TB Dry Sherry or Kirschwasser
- 4 oven-proof soup bowls
- 4 Thick Bread slices, lightly toasted
- 1# grated Gruyère cheese, divided into 4 piles (less if you wish)
Directions
1. Melt butter in pot over medium heat, and then add sliced onions and garlic paste, and sprinkle with a couple of pinches of kosher salt.
2. Stir occasionally for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 ½ to 2 hours, stirring occasionally so nothing burns or sticks. Onions should be reduced and golden brown. If not, up the heat and cook some more – you want a nice dark brown color, but no blackened onions.
3. Increase heat to medium, add Bay Leaf, Thyme, Paprika, salt and pepper and stir for 1 minute.
4. Add white wine and reduce for 3 minutes or until almost evaporated
5. Add flour and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring frequently.
6. Add Stock or Consommé and simmer for 2 hours.
7. Remove bay leaf and let cool on stove for 15 minutes, Heat oven to 500.
8. Move top rack near broiler in oven and switch oven to broiler.
9. Place 4 bowls on cookie sheet, fill each with 1 TB of Sherry or Kirsch, then fill ¾+ full with soup, float bread on top, and layer the ¼ pile of grated cheese (or more or less as desired) on top each piece of bread.
10. Place cookie sheet with bowls directly under broiler for about 5 minutes, until bubbly and golden, but not burnt.
11. Remove from oven and let rest a few minutes before serving.
Tip:
By using a younger cheese, about 6 months and not aged, the Gruyère will melt more smoothly.