French Onion Soup

Ingredient List

1 Stick of Butter

4-6 Onions, Sliced

1 C Dry White Wine

3 C Chicken Broth

3 C Beef Stock

2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced

Worcestershire Sauce

Gruyere Cheese

French Bread

Saint Louis has had  some MAJOR rain the past couple of days. I am considering building an ark. I felt with all the rain and the nasty weather, I would make a pot of French Onion Soup. This soup is not for the weak at heart, and, it isn’t a soup that you can just throw together and enjoy 10 minutes later. It needs time to caramelize and simmer and soften and get some nice rich color and flavor. Here is how I made it.

First thing I do is chop about 4-6 onions. I prefer sweet onions. While the chopping is taking place, I melt 1 stick of REAL BUTTER on the stove in a pot.

Once the onions are chopped, I throw them into the pot with the butter. And on medium heat, I start caramelizing the onions. Be sure to stir them from time to time so they do not burn.

After about 30 minutes, I then give the onions one more good stir and turn off the heat.

I cover the pot partially and place in a 400 degree oven so the onions can caramelize further. This is a tip I learned from the Pioneer Woman. This way you do not have to watch the onions so closely. Leave them in the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour. If they color isn’t dark enough for your liking, give the onions a stir and place them back in until you get the desired darkness.

Just look at the rich color. Now scrape down the  sides and give the onions a stir. REMEMBER- the pot is hot.

With the heat turned off, add 1 generous cup of a dry white wine. I used Sauvignon Blanc. Use something you would normally drink. After you add the wine, turn on the heat again to medium and cook the onions down until you reduce the wine by half.

Now add 3 cups of Chicken Broth and 3 Cups of Beef Stock to the onions and 2 cloves of minced garlic. As this is cooking, now is the time to give it a couple of dashes of Worcestershire Sauce. This is where you get your salt from, so add as much as you think works. I usually just do 2 dashes.  Start simmering the mixture for about 20-30 minutes. While this is simmering you can shred your cheese. This is some place you do not want to skimp on. You have spend HOURS making this rich soup. Be sure to use REAL Gruyere Cheese, and a good quality too!

Also take this time to toast your bread for the top of your soup. I used a French Bread and I place about 2 tablespoons of butter into a frying pan. Melt your butter and coat both sides of the bread.

You want the bread to be toasted well but not burned.

The soup has simmered for about 30 minutes and now it is time to place it in the bowls. I place my bowls on a cooking sheet so they are easier to handle right out of the oven.

Now place the toasted bread on top of the soup. Do not push them down into the bowl. You want them to float on top.

Now, the best part. Cover the bread with a healthy amount of cheese. Place the bowls in the oven and turn on the broiler. You want the cheese to be melted and bubbling when you remove them from the oven.

BE CAREFUL! THE BOWLS ARE HOT! I let the soup rest for about 10 minutes before attempting to handle the bowls.

Now it is time to dig in. I hope you enjoy this soup. It is so worth the time and effort that goes in to making it. It is so rich and flavorful and I hope your family enjoys it as much as our family does!