A French Onion Soup Recipe Made Simple But No Less Hearty

Updated at: Sat, 02 Nov 2024 20:00:07 GMT

Step 1

Step 1: Cut the top and root end from the onions and discard or save for stock. Cut the onions in half from the top through to the root end. Place the onions cut side-down on a cutting board and cut lengthwise (from the top to the root end) into ¼-inch slices. Break the onions up with your fingers, trimming away any root that prevents the onions from separating into pieces.

Step 2

Step 2: Heat 1 ½ tablespoons of oil in a large cast-iron Dutch oven or large (12-inch) saute pan over medium high heat. Add half of the onions and the salt to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until they have wilted a bit, 4 minutes. Add the remaining onions and reduce the heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula and scraping up the bottom and sides of the pan so stray bits don’t burn, until the onions are softened and the sticky bits you’re scraping up start turning a coppery brown, about 15 minutes.

Step 3

Step 3: Start adding a generous splash of the sherry or wine to the pan occasionally to release any browned bits from the bottom and sides of the pan. Keep cooking, adding sherry now and then until the onions begin to make crackling noises and are the color of an old penny, 15 to 20 minutes. Adjust the heat as needed to prevent the onions from burning. Increase the heat if the onions are too pale after 15 minutes; stoves vary in power and a lot depends on the pan you are using. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with ½ cup of water and remove from heat.

Step 4

Step 4: Scrape the onion mixture into a soup pot or Dutch oven with at least 3-quart capacity. Add the bone broth, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf and bring to a simmer over high heat. Taste the soup and add the bouillon base 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring to dissolve and tasting between additions, until the soup is super delicious. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 30 minutes to meld the flavors.

Step 5

Step 5: While the soup simmers, prepare the baguette toasts. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Line a small, sturdy rimmed baking sheet with foil (the lower half of a broiler pan is ideal). Rub the garlic clove all over the outside of the baguette to season it subtly with garlic. Cut the baguette into ⅓-inch slices on an angle (to produce slices with more surface area). Arrange the slices in a single layer on the baking sheet and brush with the remaining 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake until the edges of the bread are crisped but not totally brittle, about 4 minutes. Set the toasts aside and keep the baking sheet as it is.

Step 6

Step 6: Preheat the broiler and adjust the oven rack so it is 6 inches below the broiling element (usually the second-highest setting). Place 4 oven-proof soup bowls on the foil-lined baking sheet, leaving about 3 inches between them. Ladle the soup into the bowls leaving ½ inch of headspace at the top; discard the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Float 2 toasts on the top of each bowl of soup (you may not need all the toasts; if not, serve the extras at the table for dunking). Carefully drape 2 slices of cheese over each bowl, making sure they hang over the sides a bit. Gently sprinkle the grated cheese evenly over the top of the sliced cheese and to fill in any gaps of bread or soup that remain uncovered with cheese.

Step 7

Step 7: Carefully slide the baking sheet into the oven and broil until the cheese is browned in places and bubbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Watch carefully so the cheese doesn’t burn and rotate the baking sheet as necessary so that the cheese browns evenly. Very carefully transfer the soup bowls to dinner plates and serve.

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