summer just got hotter. [French onion soup]
Though French onion soup isn’t your typical summer dish, I’ve never made the soup before, so I decided to give it a shot this weekend. I had to tweak the original recipe a bit, but otherwise, it turned out fantastic. The gooey cheese was definitely my favorite part. :)
French onion soup
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Ingredients
- 2 lb. medium onions, halved lengthwise, then sliced lengthwise
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- ¾ tsp. salt
- ¼ cup grapeseed oil
- 2 tsp. flour
- ¾ cup dry white wine
- 4 cups (32 fl. oz.) reduced-sodium beef broth
- 1½ cups water
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- 2-3 chicken bouillon cubes
- 6 (1/2-inch-thick) diagonal slices of baguette
- Shredded gruyere cheese, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cook onions, thyme, bay leaves, and salt in grapeseed oil in a 4- to 5-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, uncovered, stirring frequently, until onions are very soft and deep golden brown, about 45-50 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in wine and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Stir in broth, water, bouillon cubes, and pepper and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Brush bread pieces with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange bread in 1 layer on a large baking sheet and toast, turning over once, until completely dry, about 15 minutes.
- Remove croûtes from oven and preheat broiler. Put crocks in a shallow baking pan.
- Discard bay leaves and thyme from soup and divide soup among crocks, then float a croûte in each. Top with desired amount of shredded gruyere.
- Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly, and slightly browned, 5-7 minutes.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Epicurious.