Totally Twisted French Onion Soup Recipes

FRENCH ONION SOUP WITH A TWIST

Steps:

• Slice onions, leeks and shallots very thinly.
• Heat butter in soup pot just until melted.
• Add onions, leeks, shallots and pepper; saute until onions begin to caramelize or become a light golden brown.
• Sprinkle in flour and stir until traces of flour disappear.
• Gradually add beef stock or consomme, stirring, then beer and water and bay leaf.
• Boil at moderately high heat, stirring constantly for 1 minute.
• Reduce heat to low and cook uncovered, for 30 minutes. Discard bay leaf.
• Taste soup; add salt and pepper if desired.
• Turn soup into individual broiler-proof bowls.
• Toast baguette slices in toaster oven until crisp.
• Place baguette slices on top of soup in bowls.
• Sprinkle top of each bowl with a generous amount of cheese.
• Place bowls under broiler until cheese melts and turns brown and bubbles.

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.