French Onion Soup

AuthorPlanet Depos
DifficultyAdvanced

[cooked-sharing]

Yields8 Servings
Prep Time15 minsCook Time4 hrsTotal Time4 hrs 15 mins

Tips Section

If using a 5-quart pot, reduce oven time from 1 3/4 hours to 1 1/2 hours as the smaller pot browns the onions very deeply during this time and it happens faster.

Ingredients

For Soup
 3 tbsp Unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
 6 Large yellow onions, about 4 pounds, halved and cut pole to pole into generous 1/4-inch-thick slices
 1 tsp Salt
 2 cups Water, plus extra for deglazing
 3 cups Low-sodium chicken broth
 3 cups Beef broth
 46 Sprigs fresh thyme, tied with kitchen twine (do NOT overdo it here)
 1 Bay leaf
 ½ tsp Sea salt
 Ground black pepper
 Cheese croutons
 1 Small baguette, cut into 1/2-inch slices (if making gluten free, omit breat or better yet, use a hearty gluten free bread, like Udi's)
 8 oz Shredded Gruyere cheese, about 2 1/2 cups

Directions

1

Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees.

2

Generously spray inside of heavy-bottom Le Creuset (7 quart) pot with nonstick cooking spray.

3

Place butter in pot and add onions and 1 teaspoon salt

4

Cook, covered, 1 hour in the oven (onions will be moist and slightly reduced in volume).
1 Hour

5

Remove pot from oven and stir onions, scraping bottom and sides of pot.

6

Return pot to oven with lid slightly ajar and continue to cook until onions are very soft and golden brown, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours longer, stirring onions and scraping bottom and sides of pot after 1 hour.
105 Minutes

7

Carefully remove pot from oven and place over medium-high heat.

8

Using oven mitts to handle pot, cook onions, stirring frequently and scraping bottom and sides of pot, until liquid evaporates and onions brown, 15 to 20 minutes, reducing heat to medium if onions are browning too quickly.
20 Minutes

9

Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until pot bottom is coated with dark crust, 6 to 8 minutes, adjusting heat as necessary. (Scrape any fond that collects on spoon back into onions.).
8 Minutes

10

Stir in 1/4 cup water, scraping pot bottom to loosen crust, and cook until water evaporates and pot bottom has formed another dark crust, 6 to 8 minutes.
8 Minutes

11

Repeat process of deglazing 2 or 3 more times, until onions are very dark brown.

12

Stir in sherry and cook, stirring frequently, until sherry evaporates, about 5 minutes.
5 Minutes

13

Stir in broths, 2 cups water, thyme, bay leaf, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, scraping up any final bits of browned crust on bottom and sides of pot.

14

Increase heat to high and barely bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes.
30 Minutes

15

Remove and discard herbs, then season with salt and pepper.

For the Croutons
16

While soup simmers, arrange baguette slices in single layer on baking sheet and bake in 400-degree oven until bread is dry, crisp, and golden at edges, about 10 minutes.
10 Minutes

17

Set aside

To Serve
18

Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler.

19

Set individual broiler-safe crocks on baking sheet and fill each with about 1 3/4 cups soup.

20

Top each bowl with 1 or 2 baguette slices (do not overlap slices) and sprinkle evenly with Gruyère.

21

Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly around edges, 3 to 5 minutes
5 Minutes

Category

Ingredients

For Soup
 3 tbsp Unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
 6 Large yellow onions, about 4 pounds, halved and cut pole to pole into generous 1/4-inch-thick slices
 1 tsp Salt
 2 cups Water, plus extra for deglazing
 3 cups Low-sodium chicken broth
 3 cups Beef broth
 46 Sprigs fresh thyme, tied with kitchen twine (do NOT overdo it here)
 1 Bay leaf
 ½ tsp Sea salt
 Ground black pepper
 Cheese croutons
 1 Small baguette, cut into 1/2-inch slices (if making gluten free, omit breat or better yet, use a hearty gluten free bread, like Udi's)
 8 oz Shredded Gruyere cheese, about 2 1/2 cups

Directions

1

Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees.

2

Generously spray inside of heavy-bottom Le Creuset (7 quart) pot with nonstick cooking spray.

3

Place butter in pot and add onions and 1 teaspoon salt

4

Cook, covered, 1 hour in the oven (onions will be moist and slightly reduced in volume).
1 Hour

5

Remove pot from oven and stir onions, scraping bottom and sides of pot.

6

Return pot to oven with lid slightly ajar and continue to cook until onions are very soft and golden brown, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours longer, stirring onions and scraping bottom and sides of pot after 1 hour.
105 Minutes

7

Carefully remove pot from oven and place over medium-high heat.

8

Using oven mitts to handle pot, cook onions, stirring frequently and scraping bottom and sides of pot, until liquid evaporates and onions brown, 15 to 20 minutes, reducing heat to medium if onions are browning too quickly.
20 Minutes

9

Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until pot bottom is coated with dark crust, 6 to 8 minutes, adjusting heat as necessary. (Scrape any fond that collects on spoon back into onions.).
8 Minutes

10

Stir in 1/4 cup water, scraping pot bottom to loosen crust, and cook until water evaporates and pot bottom has formed another dark crust, 6 to 8 minutes.
8 Minutes

11

Repeat process of deglazing 2 or 3 more times, until onions are very dark brown.

12

Stir in sherry and cook, stirring frequently, until sherry evaporates, about 5 minutes.
5 Minutes

13

Stir in broths, 2 cups water, thyme, bay leaf, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, scraping up any final bits of browned crust on bottom and sides of pot.

14

Increase heat to high and barely bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes.
30 Minutes

15

Remove and discard herbs, then season with salt and pepper.

For the Croutons
16

While soup simmers, arrange baguette slices in single layer on baking sheet and bake in 400-degree oven until bread is dry, crisp, and golden at edges, about 10 minutes.
10 Minutes

17

Set aside

To Serve
18

Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler.

19

Set individual broiler-safe crocks on baking sheet and fill each with about 1 3/4 cups soup.

20

Top each bowl with 1 or 2 baguette slices (do not overlap slices) and sprinkle evenly with Gruyère.

21

Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly around edges, 3 to 5 minutes
5 Minutes

French Onion Soup
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