French Onion Soup
- Serves: 6 – 8
- Preparation Time: 20 minutes
- Total Cooking time: 30 minutes
An old classic in terms of recipes, French onion soup is also surprisingly simple to prepare. In my opinion the soup itself is one of those recipes that does not profit from embellishing or making entirely non-traditionally. That being said, there really is nothing wrong with a little experimentation in regards to things like the bread crouton or the type of cheese you can add to the soup as garnish such as using garlic rubbed toasted sourdough bread, or substituting a young parmesan, aged Gouda, or a buttery jack cheese in place of the traditional gruyere. If you want to present this dish traditionally you would want to serve it in individual ramekins with a slice of toasted bread and cheese that you broil in the oven until the cheese is melted and browned slightly, but for a family style presentation you might try just serving the croutons and cheese separately for people to add as much or little as they choose.
| Amount | Measure | Ingredients |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | lbs | Yellow onion; peeled and sliced ¼” thick |
| 3 | quarts | Beef stock or consommé (consommé is available in most markets or grocers) |
| 4 | tbsp | butter |
| 6-8 | slices | sweet or sourdough French bread sliced into ½” thick rounds |
| 6-8 | oz | cheese such as gruyere (classic) or parmesan, provolone, or Jack sliced or shreds |
| 1 | clove | garlic |
| Black Pepper to taste |
To prepare:
Heat a large, heavy bottomed stock pot over medium high heat, melting the butter until it just begins to foam, next add the sliced onions and sauté 5-7 minutes or until the onions are soft translucent. Add in the beef stock or consommé and bring just to a simmer. Allow to simmer over medium heat 15-20 minutes to blend the flavors. Meanwhile, rub the cut surfaces of the bread rounds with the garlic slice then toast under a broiler flipping so that both sides are a light golden brown. Adjust the seasoning in the soup to taste, adding pepper if needed. To serve, ladle into large bowls and float a piece of toasted bread on the soup and top with shredded cheese. Allow the cheese to melt and enjoy!
