French Onion Soup (smitten kitchen)
Smitten Kitchen's version of French Onion soup turned out, well, superbly. Nothing less from Deb!
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The Soup:
1 1/2 pounds (680 grams or 24 ounces or about 5 cups) thinly sliced yellow onions 3 tablespoons (42 grams or 1 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil 1 teaspoon (5 grams) table salt, plus additional to taste 1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) granulated sugar (helps the onions to brown) 3 tablespoons (24 grams or 7/8 ounce) all-purpose flour 2 quarts (8 cups or 1.9 liters) beef or other brown stock 1/2 cup (118 ml) dry white wine or dry white vermouth Freshly ground black pepper 3 tablespoons (45 ml) cognac or brandy (optional) Gratinée: 1 tablespoon grated raw onion 1 to 2 cups (to taste) grated Swiss (I often use Gruyere) or a mixture of Swiss and Parmesan cheese 1 tablespoon butter, melted 12 to 16 1-inch thick rounds French bread, toasted until hard |
Melt the butter and oil together in the bottom of a 4- to 5-quart saucepan or Dutch oven over moderately low heat. Add the onions, toss to coat them in oil and cover the pot. Reduce the heat to real low and let them slowly steep for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, uncover the pot, raise the heat slightly and stir in the salt and sugar. Cook onions, stirring frequently, for 30 to 40 minutes until they have turned an even, deep golden brown. Don’t skimp on this step, as it will build the complex and intense flavor base that will carry the rest of the soup. After the onions are fully caramelized, sprinkle them with flour and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the wine in full, then stock, a little at a time, stirring between additions. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and simmer partially covered for 30 to 40 more minutes, skimming if needed. Correct seasonings if needed but go easy on the salt as the cheese will add a bit more saltiness and I often accidentally overdo it. Stir in the cognac, if using. Set aside until needed. Preheat oven to 325°. Arrange six ovenproof soup bowls or crocks on a large, foil-lined baking sheet. Bring the soup back to a boil and divide among six bowls. To each bowl, add 1/2 teaspoon grated raw onion and a tablespoon of grated cheese. Stir to combine. Dab your croutons with a tiny bit of butter and float a few on top of your soup bowls, attempting to cover it. Mound grated cheese on top of it; how much you use will be up to you. Bake soups on tray for 20 minutes, then preheat broiler. Finish for a minute or two under the broiler to brown the top lightly. Serve immediately. |
Very slightly modified from here
Notes:
Notes:
- Deb notes that to make the soup vegetarian veggie or mushroom stock can be substituted for the beef stock.
- Don't slice the onions too thin. I'd recommend about 1/4" thick rounds. When we sliced ours thinner, the onions kind of disintegrated. The flavor was fantastic, but we didn't have the long soft strings of onions that make this soup so special. Also, our onions were very watery, or we didn't have the heat high enough, and so they took 2 full hours to caramelize.