French Onion Soup
This recipe starts with 3 full pounds of onions.
Merrill may be laughing now, but she'll soon be crying.
A nice chunk of butter goes into the pot, to be followed by some olive oil.
No need to chop the garlic -- the confident "thwap" of Amanda's meat pounder does the trick.
The garlic is first to take a dip in the hot butter and oil.
Then come the onions.
The aromatics: thyme and bay leaf.
Isn't the reflection in the steel bowl cool? It's a little like Alice Through the Looking Glass.
After 20 to 30 minutes, the onions should be nicely caramelized.
Amanda stirs with purpose, while Merrill adds the veal stock.
We had to crack open two of these bottles to get a full 2 cups -- happily, there were leftovers for the cooks.
Et voila! Now, you just let it simmer away for up to three hours (the longer the better).
At which point, it should look like this.
Wcfoodies includes the brilliant step of starting with a piece of toast in the bottom of each bowl.
Then, you ladle the soup over it.
You add another piece of toast (we used baguette).
Finally, you shower it with cheese (we used the recommended gouda, gruyere, pecorino, and parmigiano) and pop it under the broiler!
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Author Notes: This vegetarian twist on a classic soup uses a secret ingredient we all have on hand from our holiday baking. It lends a depth of flavor and aids in making a quick rich, stock from the already caramelized onions, so you'll never miss the traditional beef. Thyme is also the traditional herb used in this soup but I don't always have it on hand. Rather than buy a specialty ingredient, I just use a dried bay leaf which I always have hanging around.
And, as for cheese, use what you like. Gruyere or Swiss are traditionally used, but since I've thrown tradition out the window, go for whatever melting cheese strikes your fancy. I used Provolone, and in a pinch tested it with a mix of Monterey Jack and Grana Padano. - Jennifer Perillo
Serves 4
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 large onions, sliced
- 1 dried bay leaf or a few sprigs of fresh thyme
- Salt & freshly ground peper, to taste
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 4 one-inch thick slices of baguette, toasted
- 4 ounces shredded Provolone, Swiss or any melting cheese of your choosing
- Melt butter in a 6-quart stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onions, bay leaf and season with salt and pepper; stir to coat well. Saute until they begin to soften and become golden, about 15 minutes. Cover pot and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, covered, until onions are softened, about 20 more minutes.
- Remove and discard bay leaf. Stir, scraping up browned bits at bottom of pot. Raise heat back to medium-high and slowly pour in the water. Add garlic clove, sherry vinegar and molasses. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 more minutes. Taste, and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.
- Preheat broiler. Evenly ladle soup into 4 oven-safe bowls. Place one slice of toasted baguette on top of each. Evenly sprinkle cheese on top and place on a rimmed baked sheet. Cook under broiler until cheese is golden and bubbly, 3 to 5 minutes.
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Onion or Garlic Soup
Tags: Soups, Vegetarian
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over 3 years ago dymnyno
I am keeping this recipe ( I'll give you credit!)..will be making this puppy soooon!
over 3 years ago lastnightsdinner
a) I totally voted up that gorgeous cheesetastic photo; b) this sounds fabulous - French onion soup is the very first dish I taught myself to make when I was a kid, and your version sounds wonderful
over 3 years ago KelseyTheNaptimeChef
Oooh, this is speaking to me on cold winter nights. Yum. Great photos, too!
over 3 years ago drbabs
Barbara is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Jennifer, this is great. I love French onion soup and considered making it vegetarian, but I couldn't figure out how to get the richness and depth of the beef stock. Molasses! Who knew? And since I use molasses in bran muffins, which i make all the time (I have to post the recipe), I always have it in the house--not just at holiday time.
Thanks!!