French Onion Soup is exactly what the soul needs: something soupy, crunchy and oohh – cheesy especially after the 14 inches of snow we just got. That’s it – winter in Canada wont leave so I’m going to do what I do best and get in that kitchen and “comfort food it up”. Looks like I’m getting down to my roots and the first ever soup I made. Also, I (naturally) added more cheese then it called for – what?!, I wanted cheesy remember…. (please don’t judge me too badly).
This is hands down my favourite recipe. I cannot tell you how many different French Onion Soup recipes I have made over the years and not to mention how many restaurants I have ordered it from and yet I have the same “ahhh” moment with this one every.single.time!
I hope you will enjoy this as much as I did. Together, united, we will show winter we will not crumble and we will not fall! (sigh, I miss my flip flops)
French Onion Soup
Ingredients
- 6 large yellow onion peeled and chopped into 1/4pieces
- 110 grams unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch sugar
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 900 mL beef broth
- 4 cups water plus more as needed
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 stick French Baguette crusty is best
- 8 ounces Gruyère cheese grated
Instructions
- Dice onions into ¼ inch pieces
- In a large soup pot over medium heat melt butter
- Add the diced onion, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 pinch of sugar. Stir evenly to coat
- Cover and cook for 10 minutes
- Take cover off and stirring frequently, cook until onions are lightly browned, approximately 20 – 30 minutes
- At this point, stir every 5 minutes and add water, a tablespoon at a time, to losses up the dark brown good stuff that forms on the bottom on the pan
- Continue adding water (as per step above) and cook until the onions are an even dark brown colour, an additional 30 minutes or longer
- Add the minced garlic and stir for another 2 minutes
- Add the flour and stir for 1 minute
- Add the entire container of beef broth, 4 cups of water, and sprig of thyme to the pot and simmer for 10 minutes
- Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes
- Add red wine and simmer for 10 minutes
- Add salt to taste
- Meanwhile, heat oven to 325ºF on Bake and adjust the rack to the upper middle position
- Cut the French baguette into ¾ inch thick slices and arrange in a single layer on a cookie sheet
- Bake the bread in the oven until golden, about 8-10 minutes
- Remove bread slices and set aside
- Turn the oven onto Broil and place 6 heat proof bowls onto a baking sheet. Fill each bowl about ¾ with soup
- Top each bowl with 2 toasted baguette slices and evenly distribute grated Gruyère cheese over the bread
- Broil until well browned and bubbly, approximately 4-6 minutes
- Cool for 5 minutes before serving as the bowl and contents will be extremely hot!
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