French Onion Soup
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When the weather turns cold here in Southeast Louisiana (and by cold I mean anything below ninety degrees and one hundred percent humidity) most folks’ thoughts go immediately to gumbo. I’m certainly not saying that mine don’t. It is called gumbo weather for a reason. But sometimes on a cold and rainy night, you need the comfort of French Onion soup. Warm, oniony, and cheesy (not sure if oniony is a word but I don’t care). Everything in the bowl just screams “stick to your ribs”.
I personally think the two time consuming, non-negotiables for this soup are the stock and the caramelization of the onions. I take stock very seriously and for that, I love turning to the crock pot. I save all my vegetable trimmings in the freezer for the express purpose of making stock. So when the time comes, I’m ready to go with my stock. For beef stock soup I like using beef shank or another type of beef bone with a lot of marrow. I roast the beef bones in the oven with my veggie trimmings, deglaze with a little water, then add the whole thing to my crockpot. Let it simmer for at least twelve hours and then you’re good to go.
Now back to the caramelization. I friggin love caramelizing onions. The smells, the sights, the tastes, everything about it. The only downside is that it can take a while, forty five minutes to an hour easily. So don’t plan on getting in a hurry. If time is of the essence for you, it may be better to plan this soup on the weekend. Just like BBQ, low and slow is the best rule when it comes to caramelizing onions.
And now I get to discuss my favorite part! The super cheesy crouton on top of the soup. Again, usually I can go to the freezer to help with this because I often have a chunk of leftover french bread in there. Add a little (who am I kidding…a lot) Gruyere cheese. Pop under the broiler and you’re good to go. Whether this is a stand alone meal or an appetizer, it will get you warmed through for whatever else is in store for the evening.
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter
- 2 onions sliced
- 4 cloves of garlic diced
- 1 teaspoon of thyme
- 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1 cup red wine
- 3 tablespoons of flour
- 6 cups of beef broth
- Thick sliced French bread (1 slice per serving)
- Gruyere cheese shredded (1 handful per serving)
Instructions
Melt butter in a large pot on low medium heat. Add onions and cook very slowly until dark and caramelized.
Add garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook for another few minutes until the garlic is soft.
Deglaze pan with wine. When wine is almost all the way evaporated add flour and stir in well. Cool for about three minutes.
Add beef broth slowly. Let soup simmer uncovered for about thirty mins. Taste soup and adjust any seasonings.
Preheat broiler. Ladle soup into oven proof ramekins. Top with bread then with cheese.
Stick under the broiler until the cheese and soup are both nice and bubbly.
