French Onion Soup
Cuisine: French
Author: Building Flavor
A classic winter comfort food - flavorful broth hides below cheesy goodness!
Ingredients
  • 4 lbs yellow onions (about 6-8 large)
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • salt
  • ½ cup dry sherry or dry white wine
  • 4 cups chicken broth (preferably low salt)
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 2 cups water, plus more as needed for deglazing
  • 1 bay leaf
  • several sprigs of fresh thyme
  • ground black pepper
  • 1 baguette, cut into ½" slices
  • ½ lb gruyere cheese, grated
Instructions
  1. Arrange your oven racks so that the large pot will fit and pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Rub the bottom and sides of the pot with butter, or coat with non-stick cooking spray. Add the 3 tbsp butter to the pot.
  2. Slice the root and stem end off of each onion, then cut it in half pole-to-pole. Remove the skin, and slice each half pole-to-pole into ¼" slices. Dump these into the pot as you go.
  3. Cover the pot and place it in the oven. Cook for 1 hour. Pull the pot out (remember, it's hot so use pot holders or dry dish towels when you touch the handles or lid) Stir the onions well to mix them up - they should be softened but not yet brown.
  4. Put the pot back in the oven but this time crack the lid a bit to let steam escape. Cook 1 more hour. Pull the pot out again, and give them another stir. If they are mushy and golden brown, move on to the next step. Otherwise put them back in for another 15-30 minutes.
  5. Place uncovered pot on the stove over medium high heat. (Don't forget those oven mitts!) Keep stirring the onions and cook until they are dark brown and water evaporates. When a layer of fond has formed on the bottom of the pot, add a splash of water and scrape up the brown gunk until it's dissolved. Allow the water to evaporate and more fond will form - do this deglazing again 2-3 more times.
  6. After the water has evaporated and you've got some fond again, deglaze one last time with the wine. Stir until that has evaporated, then add the 2 broths, 2 cups water, bay leaf, thyme, and a dash of salt. Scrape up any last bits of fond, increase the heat to high until it's almost boiling. Reduce the heat to low, put the lid on, and simmer for half an hour.
  7. While the soup is simmering, place the baguette slices on a baking sheet and place them in the 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes until they are lightly golden brown.
  8. When soup is done, use tongs to pull out the thyme and bay leaf if you can find them, then add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle out the soup into your oven safe crocks, then cover each bowl with 1-2 baguette slices, and bury the whole thing with grated cheese. Place them under the broiler until the cheese is melted and bubbly, with patchy brown spots. Let cool for a few minutes before serving - these will be molten hot!
Recipe by Building Flavor at https://www.buildingflavor.com/french-onion-soup/