French Onion Soup: A Timeless Comfort Food

After arriving home from our trip to Paris, I couldn't stop thinking about this delicious French Onion Soup we had. I had to recreate this and satisfy my craving so I found this recipe from TheFoodieBunch.com and adapted it to how my dad taught me. It is a lovely sweet and salty winter soup, simple and delicious. Like the recipe says, use a good stock so it's not too salty.

 

Rustic French Onion Soup 
Adapted from Elijah Grounds

Soup Ingredients:

4 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tbsp olive oil

6 cups yellow onions, thinning sliced

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tbsp all-purpose flour

1/2 cup dry white wine

6 cups beef stock, high quality

2 bay leaves

4 sprigs fresh thyme

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce 

Topping Ingredients:

4 slices baguette, toasted

1 1/2 cups Gruyére cheese, grated

 

Method:

In a dutch oven over medium heat, melt the butter with olive oil. When simmering, add the sliced onions and salt. When slicing the onions, cut from root to tip, this ensures no mush onions. Cook slowly, stirring frequently for 34-40 minutes until deep golden brown and deeply caramelised. Lower the heat if needed to avoid burning.

Sprinkle in the flour and stir well to coat onions. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring, to eliminate raw flour taste.

Deglaze the pot with white wine, scraping up browned bits. Simmer for about 3 minutes, until slightly reduced.

Add the beef stock, bay leaves, thyme and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover partially and simmer on low heat for 20-25 minutes. Discard the herbs before serving.

The topping I do a little differently - I like toasting the baguette and grilling the Gruyère on it first, then gently placing on top of the soup. My Dad was a great soup maker and taught me to do it this way. It's less dangerous too as you're not handling a very hot bowl from under the grill!