French Onion Soup

Le French onion soup is a very easy soup to make but it is time-consuming.

The onions are cooked over low heat so they can caramelize to a dark brown, yet not burn while on their way to their culinary destiny – a destiny that will make many people réjouissant.

French Onion Soup

• 8 tablespoons butter (or olive or grapeseed oil if vegan or vegetarian)
• 5 medium (or 3 large) yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup dry white wine like sauvignon blanc, albariño, chardonnay or water
• 6 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 5 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon Beef Base (or vegetable base if vegan/vegetarian), optional
• Leaves off about 8 stalks of fresh thyme (plus some additional stalks for garnish if desired)
• Sea salt
• Coarse ground pepper
• 1 loaf artisan French or sourdough bread
• 6-8 ounces Gruyere cheese, sliced thin

How to Cut An Onion

1. Cut the top off of the onion.
2. Lay top of onion (which is now flat) upside down on cutting board). Cut the onion in half down the middle of the root.
3. Peel off the outer layer of onion skin and discard.
4. Lay onion with the largest flat side down and begin slicing thinly starting at the top.

Melt butter in a large frying pan over medium-low heat and then add sliced onions.

Continue to cook onions over medium-low heat for about 4 hours, stirring occasionally.

Onions will end up being a beautiful dark brown and caramelized. You can’t speed up this process because the onions would burn rather than caramelize if the heat was turned up higher.

Stir in flour and cook for a few minutes while stirring.

Add wine (if desired) and broth; and, continue to stir for a few minutes to cook the flour.

Allow soup to heat up and then stir in the beef base. Stir and cook until it is melted into the soup. Salt & pepper soup to taste.

Note: Beef broth can be replaced by the more traditional broth of beef consomme’ if preferred.

Time to stir in the thyme.

Slice bread as thick as you’d like, butter it on both sides, and then place on a sheet pan to broil until golden. Flip over and broil on the backside as well.

Place soup in bowls and place a slice of the toasted bread on top of each bowl.

Cover with as much lovely sliced or grated Gruyere as you like.

Place soup bowls on a baking sheet and back under the broiler until cheese is melted fully. Garnish with a stalk of thyme or minced thyme if you like and serve. It’s best to place a napkin on a plate and then place the bowl on a plate to serve. Repeat this for each serving. This not only looks lovely but it’s safer to handle.

Le destiny of le onions. Le sigh.