It’s soup season. When the wind is moaning and there are daggers of ice in the rain, or when mounds of fallen snow have drifted against my door, I seek a warm crackling fire, my hands wrapped around a hot bowl pulled close to my chest, and no place where I have to go. Now that the holidays are over and the calm of January is upon us, soup season is officially in full swing. I’ve always loved French Onion Soup, with its flavorful undertone of red wine, the mildly moody flavor of caramelized onions steeped in dark broth, the warm soak of crispy bread, and the melted pull of broiled cheese. Seriously… I could live happily ever after tucked inside all of that.
The beauty of onion soup is that it is unpretentious by nature. There is simplicity and commonness to a bowl of long-simmered onions in broth. Yet, with the addition of just a few other quality ingredients, it is anything but common; it is deeply comforting and soul-satisfying.
The key to unlocking the bold flavor is to caramelize the onions well. So take your time. The flame should be medium-low and the onions stirred occasionally, allowing time for them to darken so they can release their sweet flavor. Keep a watchful eye though, because you don’t want to blacken them, just want to cook them long and slow until they are deeply golden.
So make yourself an Edith Piaf playlist, put it on repeat, and pour yourself a glass of good French wine, and let’s make a big batch of French Onion Soup! I’ll meet you in the kitchen!
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Did you make this recipe? Or, do you have a favorite way to make this soup? Leave a comment, I’d love to hear! Don’t forget to share it with me on Instagram. Tag me @chasingtheseasons so I don’t miss it!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup salted butter or 8 tablespoons (1 stick)
- 5 yellow onions, halved and sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed and roughly chopped
- 1 large shallot
- 1 bay leaf
- few sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried
- Kosher salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup Burgundy wine substitute with Cabernet
- 2 qts beef broth
- 2 tbsp sherry
- 1/2 lb Gruyère or Comte cheese
- 1 day old loaf of French baguette, sliced
Instructions
- Over medium-low heat, melt the butter in a deep, round-bellied earthenware pot or a deep Dutch oven
- Add the onions, shallot, garlic, bay leaf and thyme. Sprinkle with salt. Stir occasionally and cook until tender and caramelized, about 25-35 minutes or so (don’t turn up the flame. Take your time, the more caramelized, the more flavor). Sprinkle with pepper and stir well to combine.
- Turn off the heat and add the red wine, scraping up any browned bits that have accumulated on the bottom of the pan. Discard the bay leaf and thyme sprigs, return to the heat and bring to a boil. Boil until wine has reduced by half, 6 minutes or so. Add the beef broth and Sherry. Allow to come to a low boil, cook for 10-15 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- When ready to serve, use a brustolina or set the broiler on high, and toast baguette slices until well toasted on both sides.
- Ladle the soup into oven-safe bowls and place a layer of toasted bread on top of soup. Top the bread with a generous layer of cheese and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Place the bowls on a cookie sheet, or in a shallow baking dish, and let them sit under the broiler until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately. Alternatively, melt the cheese on individual baguette slices separately under the broiler. Then add to the soup bowls.
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