worth the wait. [onion soup w. sage brown butter, fried sage & homemade croutons]

With the unexpected appearance of rain today, this soup turned out to be the perfect dish. It’s simple and comforting with a slightly gourmet twist. Though fairly easy to make, the soup is time-consuming. If you’ve caramelized onions before, I’m sure you understand. But, we all know the final product is well worth the wait–sweet and buttery onions that melt in your mouth. The addition of fried sage leaves and sage butter gave the soup that extra boost of flavor and complexity it needed.

Now the only thing that would make this soup even easier to make is an immersion blender. I’ve already asked Santa for one this year. :)

The onions need to be a bit more golden (didn’t get a photo of the final result).

Recipe:

12 tbsp. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided

4 medium sweet onions, thinly sliced

4 cups low-salt chicken broth, plus more as needed

1/2-inch pieces torn French bread

Fresh sage leaves

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Melt 6 tbsp. butter in heavy extra-large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions; sprinkle with salt and pepper and sauté until onions begin to soften, 15 to 18 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and sauté until onions are very tender and deep golden brown, stirring often and adjusting heat as needed, about an hour longer. Transfer 2 tbsp. caramelized onions to small bowl and reserve for garnish.

Add 4 cups broth to remaining onions in pot and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes to blend flavors. Cool slightly. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return to same pot and add more broth by 1/4 cupfuls to thin soup to desired consistency. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.

Melt 2 tbsp. butter in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add torn bread pieces and sauté until bread pieces are crisp and golden, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and reserve.

Cook remaining 4 tbsp. butter in small saucepan over medium heat until golden brown, stirring occasionally, 3 to 4 minutes. Add sage leaves and cook until slightly crisp, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer leaves to small plate lined with paper towels; reserve brown butter in saucepan.

Divide soup among bowls and top with caramelized onions, croutons, fried sage leaves and sage brown butter.

Recipe adapted from Epicurious.