French Onion Soup
Demystifying this French classic by explaining the full process of caramelizing onions so that you can take this restaurant quality soup off your ordering menu and into your weekly meal plan!
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 55 minutes mins
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine French
Soup
- 4 Large Yellow Onions Sliced Thinly
- 4 TBSP Butter Plus extra if needed
- 1/2 C Dry White Wine
- 2 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
- 1 Quart Beef Broth
- 2 C Water
- 1 Bay Leaf
- Salt to Taste
- Pepper to Taste
- 1/2 C Shredded Swiss Cheese
- 1/2 C Shredded Gruyere Cheese
Cheesy Toast
- 4-6 Slices Sourdough Bread
- 4 TBSP Butter
- 2 Cloves Garlic Grated
- 1/2 C Shredded Swiss Cheese
- 1/2 C Shredded Gruyere Cheese
Caramelizing the Onions
Slice 4 onions in half from root to stem, and then slice into thin slices. Heat a wide-bottom pot over medium heat and melt the 4 tbsp of butter. Once the butter is melted add in your onions and toss to coat in the butter. The pile of onions will sit pretty high in your pot—allow them to cook down. You want to adjust your heat to allow your onions to properly caramelize—this means that they will soften and turn a golden color without burning. To do this you need to find the perfect medium temperature on your stove. If at any point you see your onions browning or sticking to the pot, you need to lower the heat. Caramelizing will take 20-35 minutes, so be patient! Check your onions every 7-10 minutes or so, tossing to keep coating in the butter. This also makes sure that the onions on top are cooking evenly, until they can all be evenly scattered along the bottom of the pan. They will cook down considerably during this time. These onions are the foundation of the flavor for this soup, so be patient with them. If your pan starts to dry out, add 1 tbsp of butter as needed.
You will know your onions are done because they will have a golden brown color (no char) and will be completely soft, without disintegrating.
Soup
Add in the 1/2 C of white wine to your pot with the onions, and allow to simmer and absorb into the onions for about 5-7 minutes. This will deglaze the bottom of your pot, and also cook out the alcohol to leave a lovely sweet flavor into the soup.
Add in the fresh thyme and a bay leaf, and pour in the beef stock and water and bring to a boil over high heat. Allow to cook at a rolling boil for about 5 minutes, and then bring down to a simmer at medium heat. Begin seasoning the soup with salt 1 TBSP at a time, stirring well in between tastings. Remember that soup takes a generous amount of salt. Add pepper to taste. Turn off the heat and add in the mixture of the cheeses right before serving, stirring to melt and disperse.
Cheesy Toast
Melt the butter in a microwave proof bowl (should take a little less than a minute) and add in the grated garlic. Brush your slices of bread with the garlic butter mixture. In a medium bowl, mix together the Swiss and Gruyere cheeses.
Place in a toaster oven or regular oven on broil for 2-3 minutes. Just enough for the bread to dry out, but not toast too much. Remove from the toaster and add cheese. Return to the toaster or oven until the cheese has melted, and the edges of the bread are starting to brown (about another 2-3 minutes).
To Serve
Ladle out soup into bowls, making sure to add a generous helping of onions to each bowl. Place a piece of cheese toast on top of each bowl, and garnish with fresh herbs or micro greens if you wish. Enjoy!
Keyword Easy French Onion Soup