Thursday, March 1, 2012

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!


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
Source: Sage Cuisine

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 
 Beth at Beth Fish Reads for her fun Weekend Cooking Party. Every weekend. It's open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share! Go on over and see some fun posts.
 


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

with the


 
SouperSundays



75 comments:

  1. I love a good hot onion soup! The most exciting part is dig into that cheesy bread!

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  2. Oh my God,it looks mouthwatering!Have a lovely day,dear Carol!

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  3. This really sounds great, I haven't had French Onion Soup in a very long time-maybe this weekend:@)

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  4. We love onion soup and this looks really good. Love those gloves!

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  5. Oh, that looks soooo good! David is itching to make onion soup; but we do not have any bowls. A friend from work found some for me last week and would you believe that as I was coming in the house with the bag that they were in along with all of my other junk from the day that I dropped the bag they were in and broke them. David never even got a chance to see them before I killed them. I couldn't do anything but laugh. Thankfully he laughed too. The gloves are awesome. Chef Son in Law gave me one of his as I'm terrible about taking part of my finger off on my cheese grater of all things. It's wicked sharp!!

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  6. Onion soup is like an old trusted friend. It never lets you down. Delicious!!!

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  7. Been a while since I had this, was actually thinking about it today. Thanks for the reminder. And that glove looks useful.

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  8. What a coincidence - I was thinking of making this for supper tonight, as we have a garlic baguette to use up!

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  9. French onion soup is one of my faves, but not so much for the man of the house!

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  10. Onion soup is a favourite around here, too. Quelle surprise!
    This recipe resembles the one that the Senior Partner follows when he makes his famous, can't be beaten, soupe a l'oignon.
    bon apétit

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  11. I have always seen this soup but all that onion just keeps putting me off from making it :). Have a nice week end!

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  12. I love the added balsamic vinegar. French onion soup is the best!

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  13. The main man in my life loves french onion soup and I need a reminder board to make it!

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  14. Looks delicious! I never can pass on anything with gooey cheese.
    ~Judy

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  15. My husband loves onion soup so he would be very happy if I made this for him soon. I'll have to look for those gloves -- would Modells have them?

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    1. I bet they would have something similar. Call first?

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  16. Love those gloves!!! French Onion soup is the best. Looks delicious.

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  17. Your soup looks great. And I must admit that I'm afraid of mandolines -- I know I'd cut something off!

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  18. Hello Carol!

    Your soup looks fantastic! Happy there aren't any fingers in there :)

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  19. Your first sentence had me drooling! This sounds so delicious.

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  20. Thanks for the nice comments!

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  21. I love onion soup especially at this time of the year. I swap out beef broth at lot...chicken gives good flavor and a little lighter overall taste.

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  22. Love it! This dish is making me drool!

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  23. Now you've got ME craving french onion soup! that cheesy top looks divine.

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  24. This is by far my favorite soup of all times and this one looks like a total keeper; just like you said. Your little crock is very cute and the photos are fantastic! Makes me want a bowl right now. Yes, Gruyere is always a good bet. ;)

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  25. Love the gloves! I could use those too--I have the worst knife skills. And my husband once needed stitches after using the mandoline slicer, so he could probably use them too. :)

    French onion soup is one of my favorites! The browned cheese on the top of yours is making me hungry!

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  26. Oh my goodness this looks amazing. I love French Onion soup!

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  27. You look like your're ready for a winter's day and not slicing onions, Carol. :) Fortunately, my mandolin has an attachment so my hands don't get sliced. I am terrible with knives.
    That onion soup looks wonderful. I love Gruyere.
    Thanks for reminding me about Sage Cuisine. It's a nice blog and not always on my radar.

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  28. Yum! I think the few times I've attempted french onion soup that it's suffered from not having the right little individual bowls.

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  29. Oh gosh, this looks good. Gruyere is the way to go, I think. Oh and that dash of balsamic sounds like just the right touch.

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  30. This looks super delicious. I love onion soup, especially with lots of cheese. I would definitely use Gruyere and not Mozzarella. I wonder what the French use, probably a French cheese instead of Gruyere. Must investigate, :).

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  31. I love onion soup..but let's be honest..it is just a vehicle for the cheese!

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  32. there's nothing better than dipping your spoon into this dish and pulling out onions smothered with cheese. YUM. Thanks for sharing the recipe...and I'd love to know how you do the printable recipe links on your blog.

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    1. I used google sites for the Printable Recipes. You just have to go to google and set it up. You need a google account and then you just link the URL from page with the recipe to your blog post.

      http://sites.google.com/

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  33. Onion soup is by far the best! Yours look amazing Carol and makes me so hungry! Simply delicious!

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  34. Thanks for the comments! Funny, right now I'm watching Julia and Jacques on TV and they are making onion soup! Jacques used red wine in his.

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  35. This past week I had French Onion Soup at a restaurant. It was sooooo good and I asked myself why I don't make it more often at home. And here you are with a recipe for me to try. Extra onions are going on the shopping list this week.

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  36. looks delicious. I have never eaten french onion soup. Maybe now is the time!

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  37. It's been ages since I've made French Onion soup! Cutting gloves may be a good investment, too ;-)

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  38. Renee to save the day! Great gift!

    We love french onion soup, but I hate the way the house smells the next day. Even using the vent the scent lingers.

    I don't usually add sugar, but imagine it works well with the balsamic ... like with caramelized shallots.

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    1. I don't usually add sugar either. Yes, like the caramelized shallots! Those are good. The balsamic was a great addition, too.

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  39. This onion soup looks restaurant quality - seriously! I need those gloves...I'm always cutting myself when I cook :\

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  40. I love french onion soup but have never made it myself! I am bookmarking this recipe--it looks perfect and really not so hard!

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  41. That soup looks perfect! I love all of the melty cheese. Lol - I feel you on the cut gloves, I hated having to wear them for work. Hint - if you put on latex gloves over the cut gloves you don't have to worry about washing them

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  42. Dh loves onion soup, I haven't made it in ages.
    Yours looks delicious!
    Now the gloves...:)

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  43. That soup looks so good. I've been scared to get a mandoline but maybe if I had those gloves.

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  44. Thank you so much for trying and posting about my recipe; so happy you enjoyed it.Sorry it took me so long to comment, but I am still getting used to Pacific time.
    Rita

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  45. My family loves French Onion Soup and I haven't made it in a long time, I'm going to bookmark your recipe. The photos are great!

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  46. This looks so hearty and good--perfect comfort food! Thanks for sharing it with Souper Sundays. ;-)

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  47. Surprisingly even to me, I have never tried french onion soup. Your soup looks so delicious on your photos. I just have to try it now. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I hope you have a lovely week ahead.

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  48. You answered my first question Carol...are they washable? Yes! I may have to try those gloves...I have also cut myself on the mandolin. French onion soup is such a favorite...I would be happy to have some right now!

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  49. The first and last time I tried French Onion Soup was in France! Then I never got a chance for a good French Onion Soup anymore.

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  50. It looks great...thanks for the tip about the gloves!

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  51. soup looks wonderful deliciously done

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  52. Your French Onion Soup looks delicious. Thanks for sharing your recipe. My favorite part is the top of the soup. Blessings,

    Lisa

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  53. This is one of my favourite soups, yet I haven't made it in ages. Thanks for this. Looks yummy!

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  54. I love it!
    Have a wonderful week,
    Markus

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  55. Wow, I love French Onion soup and that looks so good. Just so you know, I've Pinned your photo on Pinterest. I can't wait to try it at home.
    I've never been a person to use gloves while cooking, even though I work in a very safety conscious facility where cut resistant gloves are mandatory - I may check out those gloves.

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  56. French Onion soup is surely an international comfort food. I love the idea of using sherry instead of wine or cognac. Nice touch.

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  57. French Onion soup is an all time fav - so delicious - your picture looks amazing! YUM
    Mary x

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  58. I too like onion soup especially with lots of gooey cheese...looks delicious Carol.
    Have a great week ahead :)

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  59. I've actually never had French onion soup. I really should try it sometime. It sounds like something I would love.

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  60. That is what I like to learn how to make. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

    Crab Apple

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  61. Oh that looks so very good - just the thing for a cold and rainy evening. I like the idea of the glove, 'tho we'd have to find a small and a large. Both The Great Dane and I have had accidents with the mandoline!

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  62. Onion soup is always a favorite! Yours looks especially good! Happy Monday! ♥♥♥

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  63. I saw this recipe at Rita's blog too. Sounds like this is a must-cook soup.

    Your blog is fabulous and here I am being your latest follower.

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  64. Sounds REALLY good, because good French onion soup is hard to find (even in restaurants!) Thanks for sharing the recipe!

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  65. onion soup is one of my favorite comfort food, yours looks delightful!

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  66. My husband and I have been on a French Onion Soup kick at our favorite diner all winter long. We ALWAYS order it! Now I will have to try this recipe soon. :) Have a wonderful week, Carol! xoxo

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  67. Mary, I used to make onion soup all the time many, many years ago and we loved it. It's been years since we've had it- sure don't know why. I'm anxious to try this recipe and then serve it the next time we have guests. :-) Sue

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