French Onion Soup With Bagel Bread Pudding Croutons Recipes

RICH AND SIMPLE FRENCH ONION SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter with olive oil in an 8 quart stock pot on medium heat. Add onions and continually stir until tender and translucent. Do not brown the onions.
• Add beef broth, sherry and thyme. Season with salt and pepper, and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Heat the oven broiler.
• Ladle soup into oven safe serving bowls and place one slice of bread on top of each (bread may be broken into pieces if you prefer). Layer each slice of bread with a slice of provolone, 1/2 slice diced Swiss and 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese. Place bowls on cookie sheet and broil in the preheated oven until cheese bubbles and browns slightly.

FRENCH ONION SOUP BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease six 8-ounce ramekins with butter and set aside on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Cut six 1/2-inch thick slices from the baguette and place them on the baking sheet. Cut the remaining baguette into 1/2-inch cubes (you should have about 4 1/2 cups) and spread them out on the same baking sheet. Bake, tossing the cubes and flipping the slices halfway through, until lightly browned, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt and a generous amount of black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to soften, about 6 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft and caramelized, 35 to 40 minutes. Add the wine, turn the heat to medium-high, bring to a boil and cook until the wine has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add 2 cups water and the bouillon cube and stir until the cube dissolves. Bring the mixture to a boil and let cook until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes.
• Whisk together the heavy cream, chives, eggs and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Add 1/2 cup bread cubes to each ramekin, sprinkle each with 1/4 cup Gruyere and top each with 1/4 cup bread cubes. Pour the egg mixture over the top. Divide the onion mixture among the ramekins. Top each ramekin with a slice of bread and 3/4 cup Gruyere.
• Set aside at room temperature for 15 minutes to allow the bread to absorb the egg mixture. Bake on the baking sheet until the custard is set and the bread pudding is puffed and golden, about 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

FRENCH ONION BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large skillet, saute the onions, sugar, and 1 teaspoon of the salt in the clarified butter over medium-high heat; stir constantly to prevent burning. Cook until golden brown. Add sherry and stir to lift any caramelized onion on the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Spread out the bread pieces evenly on a baking sheet. Place in the oven for about 5 to 8 minutes to dry the bread slightly but not to add color. Set aside to cool.
• Whisk together the eggs, cream, mustard, thyme, the remaining salt, and pepper. Soak the bread in the egg mixture for 5 minutes.
• In a casserole dish, layer the bread with the onions and cheese. Pour the remaining egg mixture over the top.
• Bake for 35 minutes or until the egg mixture is set.