Archive for the ‘Appetizers & Hors d'oeuvres’ Category

Fabulous French Onion Soup

Monday, October 12th, 2009

Fabulous French Onion Soup

This is, by far, the most delicious French onion soup I have ever tasted. I merged two recipes in the style of Martha Stewart and Paula Deen to come up with the absolute best French Onion Soup in the world. I kid you not, this is the best you will ever have, if you adhere to a few key steps.

Two details of importance, when making GREAT French onion soup: (1) Slow cooking the onions for about an hour and a half on very low heat. This will really mellow the onions and bring out amazing flavors. (2) Use imported Gruyere Cheese. Imported Gruyere is a bit pricey compared to some other cheeses (I recently paid about $19.00 per pound). You need about a half pound of cheese, which would cost around $10.00. I know, some of you will cringe at that, but really this soup is amazing and well worth it. Make it as a special treat. But promise me, that at least once, you will use the imported Gruyere (from France), just to treat yourself. And I will promise that you will LOVE it.

Just this weekend, I made this soup for my parents who both agreed: It was the BEST French Onion Soup they ever had!!!

French Onion Soup

Recipe: Absolute Best French Onion Soup

Summary: Absolute Best French Onion Soup

Ingredients

2 LB Yellow Onions, quartered and sliced into thin strips.
4 Tbsp Butter
1 teaspoon sugar
1 Tbsp all-purpose-flour
1/2 Cup Dry White Wine (I used an inexpensive bottle of Pinot Grigio)
3 Cups Beef Broth, homemade or store bought (I used College Inn brand Bold Stock Sirloin beef broth – and it was just delicious!)
2 teasponns chopped fresh thyme
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
1 Small French Baguette, sliced crosswise and into 1/2 inch pieces.
8 ounces (about 3 cups) of imported Gruyere Cheese, shredded. (My Food Processor has a shredding blade that works wonderfully on cheeses).
Note: You will need oven safe ceramic bowls to later heat the soup under the broiler. You can find these at most gourmet cooking stores or at amazon.com (search for french onion crocks)

Instructions

In a large pot (dutch oven or every day pan) melt butter, and then add sliced onions to the melted butter.
Spread onions evenly in the bottom of pan. Continue cooking onions slowly, on low heat for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until onions caramelize nicely. Do not stir too often, or onions will not caramelize. Slow cooking is an important process of making great French Onion soup, as it will mellow and sweeten the onion, releasing great flavors.
While onions are cooking, place bread slices on a baking sheet and toast in the oven, until crunchy but not burnt.
Sprinkle flour over cooked onions and mix well.
Add wine, beef broth, and chopped thyme to the onions, and turn heat up to medium-low. Bring to simmer, then cook partially covered for 30 minutes.
Salt and pepper to taste, if needed (Remember that depending on what type of broth you used, you may not need additional salt and pepper).
Using a ladle, fill your oven safe crocks (bowls or mugs) with onion soup, almost to the top.
Add a few pieces of the toasted, sliced baguette bread into each crock of soup, pushing the bread down in the soup so that the soup rises to the top of the crock and the bread slightly peeks out of the top.
Sprinkle shredded Gruyere cheese over the onion soup and toasted bread. Be generous with the cheese. The best part of French Onion Soup is when there is so much cheese it bubbles and melts over the sides of the bowl.
Place your filled soup crocks on a baking dish, and place them in the oven, under the Broiler for 5 to 7 minutes. Keep your eye on the cheese. Soup is done when the cheese is fully melted, bubling and beginning to brown. Be careful to not burn the bread or cheese, as the broiler works fast.