Can’t Be Afraid of the Gruyère, Best French Onion Soup Recipe.

Can’t Be Afraid of the Gruyère, Best French Onion Soup Recipe.

How good is this soup?  Let me tell you.  It was 95 degrees outside and I made this for the bride and myself.  It isn’t a terribly difficult recipe.  It does take a while but it is well worth it.   The ingredients are pretty straight forward.  All you really need is a good skillet, preferably a nice cast iron skillet; I used my modern Lodge SK10.   You need three good sized Vidalia onions, yes you can use other kinds of onions but don’t, you deserve the best.  Home made Beef Stock is best, I used a store bought stock.   Let’s talk about cheese.  There are recipe’s out there that will use swiss, provolone, cheddar, mozzerella. again, don’t.  Get good

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 25 minutes to all day long

Yield: 2 (multiply below ingredients for every 2 more crock portions)

Ingredients

3 Large Vidalia Onion sliced root to stem.

2 tablespoons of Kerrygold unsalted butter

Olive Oil

1 quart (4 cups) + of beef stock (from scratch preferred) store bought in reality

1/2 cup of cooking sherry

a few pinches of sugar

minimum 2 cloves to as much garlic as you can handle, minced

1/4 teaspoon- 1/2 teaspoon of dry thyme

2 bay leaves

1 french baguette

cracked pepper

salt, I used pink Himalayan salt

Approximately .35 lb of Cave aged Gruyère cheese ( This recipe doesn’t do cups.  You go to the supermarket and the good cheese is sold by the pound, not by the cup).  When in doubt get more than less.

A smidgen Grated Parmesan

This is how you do it……….( yes you can sing along too!)

Place some olive oil and the butter in to the cast iron skillet. Heat to medium, add the onion and sauté for  10-15 minutes. Add a pinch to a few of sugar to the onions.  (This will help caramelize the onions).  It normally takes 30-60 minutes to Caramelize the onions, closer to 60.  If the pan gets a little dry don’t be afraid to add a little olive oil or even more butter.  Just don’t let them get dry because they will burn.   This is where the finesse factor kicks in.  When the onions are well caramelized, but not burnt  add the garlic. and get it mixed in well with the onion.

Deglaze the caramelized onion  with the cooking sherry.  Mix well for a minute or two.  Add the beef stock, dry Thyme, bay leaves, partially cover, reduce heat and simmer for at least a half hour. You can simmer longer but reduce the gap that you left exposed from your lid.  I’ll simmer for 2-3 hours and it turns out real yummy.  Say you don’t have a big ol’ lid for your skillet. No problem, 1 or 2 sheets of aluminum foil will work in a pinch.  Or you can transfer all the contents to a Dutch Oven and finish it that way.

Let’s discuss bread.  I use a grocery store french baguette.  I will cut an end off, stick it in the crock, get the ol’ bread knife out and slice it flush-ish with the bowl.  You can use either 2 or 3 slices in the soup.  If you like a more liquidy soup use 2, a more bready soup use 3.  I will then toast the slices slightly in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 250-300 degrees.  Feel free to toast your bread how ever you like it.  If you like you can get a little LOCO and coat the bread with olive oil or even garlic butter!

After the soup has simmered to your liking,  remove the bay leaves, and add a final bit of salt and pepper.   You now should be good to go.  Scoop the onions and broth into the crocks, add as much Gruyère as you can humanly stack on top of the soup, then just a smidge of Parmesan.  Place the crocks in to a preheated broiler at 350 degrees Farenheit  for around 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly browned.  Serve immediately.  It will be really hot so wear proper protective gear for your hands and be careful placing it on delicate surfaces.  I use a silicone mat or a square potholder.  Otherwise my bride would kill me for destroying the Black Walnut breakfast bar.

Enjoy, and don’t burn your tongue!

Print

Can't Be Afraid of the Gruyere French Onion soup

Caramelized Vidalia onions, in a rich beef broth with scrumptious Gruyere cheese

Course Main

Cuisine French

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 25 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes

Servings 2 crocks

Author Ken at Cookingyo.com

Ingredients

• 3 Large Vidalia Onion sliced root to stem.
• 2 tablespoons of Kerrygold unsalted butter
• Olive Oil
• 1 quart 4 cups + of beef stock (from scratch preferred) store bought in reality
• 1/2 cup of cooking sherry
• a few pinches of sugar
• minimum 2 cloves to as much garlic as you can handle. Pressed
• 1/4 teaspoon- 1/2 teaspoon of dry thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 french baguette
• cracked pepper
• salt I used pink Himalayan salt
• Approximately .35 lb of Cave aged Gruyère cheese
• A smidgen Grated Parmesan

Instructions

1. Place some olive oil and the butter in to the cast iron skillet.
2. Heat to medium
3. Add the onion and sauté for 10-15 minutes.
4. Add a pinch to a few of sugar to the onions. (This will help caramelize the onions)..
5. If the pan gets a little dry don't be afraid to add a little olive oil or even more butter
6. When the onions are well caramelized, but not burnt add the garlic Normally 45-60 mins
7. Mixed in well with the onion.
8. Deglaze the carmelized onions with the cooking sherry.
9. Mix well for a minute or two.
10. Add the beef stock, dry thyme, bay leaves
11. Partially cover, reduce heat and simmer for at least a half hour
12. Use either 2 or 3 slices of toasted baguette
13. After the soup has simmered to your liking, at least 30 minutes, remove the bay leaves
14. Add a final bit of salt and pepper to taste.
15. Scoop the onions and broth into the crocks
16. Add as much shredded Gruyère as you can humanly stack on top of the soup
17. Then add just a smidge of grated Parmesan cheese.
18. Place the crocks in to a preheated broiler at 350 degrees Farenheit for around 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly browned.
19. Serve immediately.