Golden Brown French Onion Soup Recipes

FRENCH ONION SOUP

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the oil, onions, salt, pepper, and sugar. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until onions are deep golden brown and caramelized, 45 to 55 minutes. In the beginning, you will only need to stir the onions only occasionally. As they start to brown midway through cooking, you will need to stir them frequently, scraping the fond (the brown particles) from the bottom of the pan. If the onions are browning too quickly, reduce the heat slightly or add a few tablespoons of water to deglaze the pan and continue cooking.
• Add the wine and raise the heat to high. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape any fond from the bottom of the pan, until almost all of the liquid has evaporated and the onions are jammy, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for one minute.
• Add the broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and bay leaves to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook, covered, for about 30 minutes.
• While the soup simmers, preheat the oven to 400°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Arrange the baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until the bread is dry, crisp, and golden at edges, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
• When the soup is finished, remove the bay leaves and add the sherry; taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. If the soup needs a deeper flavor, try a few shakes of Worcestershire sauce. If it's not quite sweet enough, add ¼ teaspoon sugar.
• Adjust an oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Set individual broiler-safe crocks on a baking sheet and divide the hot soup among the crocks (be sure the soup is very hot as it won't warm up much in the oven). Top each crock with 1 or 2 baguette slices (do not overlap slices) and sprinkle evenly with Gruyère and then Parmigianno Reggiano. Slide the crocks into the oven and broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly around edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Let the crocks cool for a few minutes before serving. (Alternatively, if using regular soup bowls: Top each toast slice with some cheese and return to broiler to melt, about 2 minutes more. Divide the soup among bowls and top each serving with two cheese toasts.)
• Make-Ahead Instructions: The soup can be made and refrigerated up to 3 days ahead (without toasts or cheese), or up to 3 months ahead and frozen. Toasts can be made (without the cheese) and kept sealed at room temperature for up to 3 days.

THE BEST FRENCH ONION SOUP

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a very large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the onions, bay leaves, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft and light golden-brown, about 1 hour. (The onions will begin to stick to the bottom of the pan and turn brown after about 30 minutes; just keep scraping them up and stirring them into the rest of the onions. If they are browning to quickly, lower the heat.)
• Add the wine to the pot, bring to a simmer and cook until it has almost completely evaporated, about 4 minutes. Add the beef broth and 1 cup of water, bring to a simmer and cook until the flavors come together and the soup is rich, about 45 minutes. Remove the bay leaves. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Keep the soup warm on a low burner or cool completely and refrigerate to reheat later. (The soup can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month.)
• Preheat the broiler. Place four soup crocks on a rimmed baking sheet and fill them about 3/4 of the way with hot soup. Float a slice of baguette on top of each and cover with 1/2 cup Gruyere. Broil until the Gruyere is golden brown (don't be alarmed if some soup bubbles out), 2 to 3 minutes.

FRENCH ONION SOUP

Steps:

• In a large stockpot on medium-high heat, saute the onions with the butter and bay leaf for 20 minutes, until the onions turn a rich golden brown color. Deglaze the pan with the sherry and brandy and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Add the white wine and simmer uncovered for 15 more minutes.
• Add the beef and veal stocks plus salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, taste for salt and pepper, and serve hot with grated Parmesan.

CLASSIC FRENCH ONION SOUP

Steps:

• To caramelize the onions, in a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onions, leeks, and shallot. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with sugar, and cook, stirring as needed to keep the onions from sticking, until the onions are melting and soft, golden brown, and beginning to caramelize, 30 to 45 minutes.
• To prepare the soup, sprinkle the flour over the onions, and stir to coat. Add the sherry, stock, and thyme and bring to a boil over high heat. Decrease the heat to low, and simmer, partially covered, for about 30 minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.
• Preheat the broiler. To serve, ladle hot soup into 6 ovenproof bowls. Arrange the bowls on a baking sheet. Place 1 or 2 slices of baguette over each bowl of soup. Top each bowl with 1/2 cup grated cheese so it covers the baguette slices. Broil until the cheese is melted and crusty brown around the edges. (Watch carefully so the bread doesn't burn.) Garnish with the chives. Serve immediately.
• Sherry is a fortified wine from the town of Jerez de la Frontera, in the Andalusia region of Spain. Sherries can range in flavor from sweet to dry, and are served either at room temperature or chilled. Sherry is an excellent apéritif and adds a lively punch in cooking, where it is typically added as a finish for soups.

GOLDEN BROWN FRENCH ONION SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter in heavy pot. When foaming add onions and salt. Fry for 30-60 minutes, stirring occasionally. Be careful not to burn or they will become bitter. Let onions turn a deep, rich brown.
• Remove from heat and stir in flour. Return to heat stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes.
• Pour in liquids. Simmer for 30 minutes.
• Pour into crocks, top with thick slice of French bread and then Swiss cheese. Broil until bubbly.