French onion soup, due to its name, got its origins in France. The recipe itself is ancient. After the 1960’s it became more popular in North America and the dish took off internationally. Much of the recipe we enjoy in its original form, however.
I always make French onion soup up about once a month as the entire family loves it. This is one of the classic recipes or at least one of my standby versions. I always have the dish with a glass of wine or beer which seems to compliment it so nicely.
As always, you can alter some of the ingredients to meet your tastes. For example, I just add two cloves of crushed garlic. Although I am a garlic lover, some people are not so I feel I must accommodate most people. If you do not care, simply add more garlic. I use French or Italian bread in the soup. In this case, when doing the video, I used a beautiful olive loaf which was so nice. You can use the bread of your choice, however.
In terms of the cheese, Swiss is my choice, but you can use a more traditional Swiss onion soup cheese such as gruyere. The same concept applies to all the spices in the recipe. It is your soup, so you be the boss.
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French Onion Soup
Yield: 3 Servings
Prep time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 1 Hour 45 Minutes
Total time: 2 Hours 5 Minutes
Ingredients:
4 – 5 Large Onions, Peeled and Sliced
6 tbsp of unsalted butter
6 cups of beef broth
1 cup of red wine of your choice (optional)
1 tsp of dried thyme
2 tbsp of brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
2 large cloves of crushed garlic
3 bay leaves
3 – 4 slices of French or Italian bread
6 to 8 slices of Swiss cheese or the cheese of your choice. Grated cheese works well too.
sliced green onions or chives for garnish
Directions:
Slice the onions and place them in a bowl.
Add the butter to a pot over medium-high heat and allow it to meltdown. Place the onions in, stir, reduce the heat to low, place a lid on, and allow them to cook down, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes.
Pour the beef broth and wine in followed by the thyme, sugar, salt, pepper, garlic, and bay leaves.
Stir, bring to a boil, reduce the heat once again to low, place a lid on, and let it simmer for about one hour or until the liquid reduces.
Ladle the soup into 4 to 6-inch ramekins, cut the bread to size and place over the soup submerging it a little.
Lay the cheese over the top.
Broil for about 8 to 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and browned.
Garnish with the spring onions and serve.
Enjoy your classic French Onion Soup.
