Heat butter and oil in a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Add onions, stir and reduce heat to low. Cook for an hour, stirring occasionally, until the onions have reduced and are soft. Add wine, sugar and thyme and cook for an additional 30 minutes until onions are caramelized and browned. Remove and discard thyme.
Add the beef broth and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium, season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer as you prepare toasts.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Thinly slice baguette on an angle. Lightly butter one side and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Transfer to oven until slices are toasted, about 15 minutes.
Turn oven broiler on and position top rack in the middle of the oven. Ladle soup into ovenproof bowls and place on a baking sheet. Place 3 or 4 toast slices in each bowl on top of soup and sprinkle generously with grated cheese. Transfer to oven and broil until the top is browned and bubbly. Serve immediately.
Classic French Onion Soup
Ingredients
2 Vidalia onions, thinly sliced
2 Spanish onions, thinly sliced
6 Bermuda onions, thinly sliced
¼ cup unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 cup dry white wine
8 cups beef stock
salt to taste
1 French baguette, thinly sliced
3 cups Gruyère cheese, grated
Directions
Heat butter and oil in a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Add onions, stir and reduce heat to low. Cook for an hour, stirring occasionally, until the onions have reduced and are soft. Add wine, sugar and thyme and cook for an additional 30 minutes until onions are caramelized and browned. Remove and discard thyme.
Add the beef broth and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium, season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer as you prepare toasts.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Thinly slice baguette on an angle. Lightly butter one side and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Transfer to oven until slices are toasted, about 15 minutes.
Turn oven broiler on and position top rack in the middle of the oven. Ladle soup into ovenproof bowls and place on a baking sheet. Place 3 or 4 toast slices in each bowl on top of soup and sprinkle generously with grated cheese. Transfer to oven and broil until the top is browned and bubbly. Serve immediately.
Classic French Onion Soup
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Sweet onions caramelized then added to a vegetable broth with white wine, topped with buttered bread and melted Gruyère cheese…
This CLASSIC FRENCH ONION SOUP is always a welcome treat!
This CLASSIC FRENCH ONION SOUP recipe ranks as one of my top ten comfort foods of all time. It is easy to prepare and I especially like the simplicity of it all. One thing I can’t stress enough – it’s all about the onions and that distinctive topping. Who doesn’t love that stringy, melted Gruyère drooping from your spoon with that first bite? It’s always, oh, so good.
Making homemade soup from scratch always works. Up here in cottage country, a well-made bowl of soup is akin to what many of us think of as the ultimate comfort food. Making a hot soup is good for your home and your soul.
Here are a few things I always do when I make this onion soup recipe:
THE ONIONS
Since the flavour profile of this soup is all about the onions, I suggest using a variety that really builds out the flavour profile. I find that sweeter onions like Vidalia, Spanish, and Bermuda work best since they caramelize up so perfectly. I also suggest avoiding red onions as they will colour your soup a dark brown.
THE SLICE
Slice your onions thin. Begin by cutting your onions in half lengthwise, then lay the onions cut side down and slice them as thinly as possible from base to tip. Feel free to use a vegetable mandoline if you’re looking for a uniform look.
BE PATIENT
Cook the onions down slowly on low heat – it takes time, but it’s worth it. Adding the slightest sprinkle of sugar as this recipe calls for can help it along, but you can leave it out if you wish.
BROTH TIME
I’ve listed beef broth in this recipe because I think it the perfect base for traditional onion soup. That said, be confident that poultry or vegetarian stock will achieve the same superior results. Here’s a recipe for PURE VEGETABLE BROTH if you need one.
LIKE BUTTER
I find that a light swipe of butter across one side of the baguette before it goes into the oven creates crisp, golden toasts. If baguette is difficult to find, you can use a ciabatta bun sliced in the same fashion.
SAY CHEESE
Please use GRUYÈRE cheese exclusively for this soup – I swear, it’s as if Gruyère was invented to be used in recipes with onions! I believe the true magic of this authentic, slow-cooked CLASSIC FRENCH ONION SOUP recipe can only be achieved using Gruyère.
A soup like this can be served as a first course, but I often enjoy it on its own as a complete meal – remember, it’s rich and satiating. If you’d like something light but flavourful to go with it, I suggest our CHOPPED KALE SALAD as well as my favourite CAESAR SALAD. If you’re pressed for time, try our SIMPLE SALAD. All three will partner well with this beloved, classic dish!
This easy CLASSIC FRENCH ONION SOUP recipe is a crowd-pleasing favourite that always gets rave reviews. Enjoy!
Heat butter and oil in a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Add onions, stir and reduce heat to low. Cook for an hour, stirring occasionally, until the onions have reduced and are soft. Add wine, sugar and thyme and cook for an additional 30 minutes until onions are caramelized and browned. Remove and discard thyme.
Add the beef broth and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium, season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer as you prepare toasts.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Thinly slice baguette on an angle. Lightly butter one side and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Transfer to oven until slices are toasted, about 15 minutes.
Turn oven broiler on and position top rack in the middle of the oven. Ladle soup into ovenproof bowls and place on a baking sheet. Place 3 or 4 toast slices in each bowl on top of soup and sprinkle generously with grated cheese. Transfer to oven and broil until the top is browned and bubbly. Serve immediately.
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