French Onion Soup

When I first set out to make French Onion Soup, I didn’t know where to start.  And my husband has never been a fan, so I haven’t made it much.  I looked at just about every resource I could find on the internet (recipe collection sites, food blogs, etc.) and several cookbooks in my kitchen.  What came to be was, in my opinion, some pretty tasty French Onion Soup.  Now, I would like to say that this was the soup that turned my husband back on to French Onion Soup, but, alas, he wouldn’t even try a spoonful.  Still, if French Onion Soup is your thing, you’ll have to try it because I think you’ll find it very good.

Talk about a frugal soup!  If you don’t go the expensive cheese topping route, this is a very affordable dish.

Start by slicing your onions thin, but not too thin.  Melt the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan.  Add the onions, season with salt and pepper, and stir well.  It may look like a lot, but they will cook down to about 1/4 their original volume.

Now, you’re going to cook the onions for quite awhile… 45 minutes to an hour…  as long as it takes for them to caramelize.  Stir them every now-and-then, so they don’t burn.

After the onions have been caramelized, add the flour and stir well.  Cook another minute or two, so the flour is no longer raw.

Add the wine to de-glaze the pan.  Make sure to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom and sides of the pan.  Cook a couple more minutes, so that the wine reduces.

Next, add the garlic and beef broth.  After the soup comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for about 30 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.

When you are ready to serve, slice up the French bread.  Toast it lightly under the broiler in your oven.  Watch it closely so it doesn’t burn!  You can see by the picture below that my broiler isn’t very consistent   Grate some cheese to add to the tops in a minute.

Ladle soup into your serving dishes and place a piece (or two!) of French bread (toasted side down) on top of the soup.  Top with cheese, and return to the oven to broil the cheese until it’s nice and bubbly.  Serve immediately.

If you don’t want the bread to get soggy in the soup, you can turn the bread over on the pan, top with cheese and broil, then serve on the side.  Enjoy!

French Onion Soup
From your Everyday Home Cook

2 pounds yellow onions, sliced (about 4 large, or 6 small)
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup white wine
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups beef broth
salt and pepper, to taste
crusty French bread (optional)
Parmesan and/or Gruyere cheese (optional)

Melt the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan.  Add the onions, season with salt and pepper, and stir well.  Cook the onions for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally, until they have caramelized.

After the onions have been caramelized, add the flour and stir well.  Cook another minute or two.  De-glaze the pan with the wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom and sides of the pan.  Simmer a few minutes, until the wine reduces slightly.  Add the garlic and beef broth.  After the soup comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Just before serving, toast the French bread lightly under the broiler in your oven.  Ladle soup into erving dishes and place French bread (toasted side down) on top of the soup.  Top with cheese, and return to the oven to broil the cheese until melted and bubbly.  Serve immediately.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.