Onion Soup

There is nothing like a good bowl of French Onion Soup, topped with gooey cheese, melting over the toasted bread, soaking up that delicious broth. When I saw Rita's version over at Sage Cuisine I dropped my plan for lentil soup and went with the onion. This one was a little sweeter than the French Onion Soup I had made previously. We loved Rita's recipe. It was a HUGE hit. 

Thanks, Rita, your recipe is a keeper!

Normally I'm not too safety conscious, hence the two good slices I gave myself with a handheld mandoline a while back. My friend Renee mentioned these cutting gloves that fisherman use and I thought I'd give them a try. Kind of goofy looking and they stunk after 7 big onions, but my fingers were intact. I'm a convert. They worked well for me. Thanks Renee. All ten of my fingers thank you!

Blade X5 Cut resistant gloves

And just to let you know, the gloves, they are machine washable!

Good as new.

I made a few changes to the recipe because of what I had on hand, I didn't feel like going out for more beef broth, and mixing chicken stock with the beef broth worked nicely in the past. And I used a little more Sherry. I used low-fat Jarlsberg and a little less butter. The kids had Mozzarella. I need to look for Gruyere. I loved the addition of a bit of sugar and the balsamic vinegar.

French Onion Soup

adapted by There's Always Thyme to Cook

Source: Sage Cuisine

Printable Recipe

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons olive oil

6 cups onions, sliced

1 shallot chopped

1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons Sherry

4 cups beef stock

4 cups chicken stock

1 bay leaf

4 slices of toasted French bread

Gruyere cheese or any good melting cheese you like

Heat butter and oil on medium heat; add onions, salt, sugar and shallot. The onions will very slowly caramelize, stir regularly, you are looking for the onions to become golden brown. This will take over thirty minutes or more. You don't want the onions to burn, so keep an eye.

Deglaze the pan with the sherry, and allow to reduce for 2-3 minutes.

While the onions are almost done caramelizing, add the chicken and beef broth in a stock pot; add the balsamic vinegar and bay leaf. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium. Add the onions and simmer for about 20-30 minutes. Remove bay leaf.

At this point you can store it the fridge or the freezer.

To serve:

Preheat broiler for 5 minutes.

Toast bread in toaster or under broiler until golden brown; set aside.

Place 4 ovenproof soup bowls on baking sheet or pan. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with toast slices. Add cheese evenly over top.

Place tray of bowls under broiler; broil for about 3 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and golden. Be very careful, the bowls will be extremely hot.

Joining 

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Souper Sundays (soups, salads and sandwiches) @ Kahakai Kitchen

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