From the Good Food Awards: French Onion Soup with Coffee

For two weeks, our friends at the Good Food Awards will be sharing articles, tips, and recipes from some of their judges, friends, and past GFA winners. Each day will feature a different category, from chocolate to charcuterie to cheese. And if you'd like to score some of the goods competing in this year's awards, head to Provisions.

Today: Jen Apodaca, Blue Bottle Coffee's West Coast Production Manager, shares a new way to use coffee in the kitchen: French onion soup.

Cooking with coffee can be tricky, because it is already a prepared beverage. But I like to add it to my French onion soup! The key to this recipe is to be patient as you fold in each reduction -- this ensures a simple, but complex, finish.

French Onion Soup with Coffee

Serves 4 to 6

6 medium onions (sweet onions are best)
1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 4 sprigs of fresh thyme)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
8 ounces mild brown ale (like Newcastle)
16 ounces unfiltered apple juice
32 ounces brewed coffee (like Ethiopia Kemgin)
1 1/4 tablespoons mushroom base (I use Better Than Bouillon)
2 bay leaves
1 baguette, sliced
4 slices Swiss cheese

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

Photo by Jen Apodaca