The nights are beginning to get on the chilly side.
Southern California is actually getting some much needed rain.
(Yay!)
Dinner tonight will be French Onion Soup to warm our insides.
French Onion Soup is a classic soup made with broth and caramelized onions
then topped with a toasted baguette and Gruyere cheese melted until a broiler.
Absolute deliciousness!
If there is a trick to making great French Onion Soup, it would be
in caramelizing the onions. True caramelized onions are slowly cooked
until they are SO soft they are almost dissolved. They can be SLOWLY cooked
stove top or placed in the oven (with its pan covered) at a slow
temperature for about 40 minutes then finished stove top.
The onions will have turned soft and sweet!
Broth is then added to the caramelized onions and cooked further until
you reach the desired richness (taste!)
I like to add all beef broth for a deeper beef flavor.
Half beef broth and half water can also be used and
I have seen chicken broth used also.
In a perfect French world, it would be made with veal stock.
If you happen to have some homemade veal stock tucked
away in your freezer - by all means use it!
After simmering, you will have a rich soup.
As the soup is simmering, shred a handful of nutty tasting,
easy melting, Gruyere cheese, and cut some slices
from a baguette. I like to use three slices
for each soup bowl.
Place the baguette slices on a baking sheet and place
in a hot oven until lightly toasted on both sides.
Lade the rich soup into the bowls, top each
with three toasted baguette slices (stacked in a sort of a
triangle so they cover the opening of the bowl), and a
good heaping of shredded Gruyere.
Pop the bowls under the broiler... (Be sure to watch them!)
... until nicely browned and melted.
Carefully take the hot bowls out from under the broiler
and you will have a delicious rich onion soup
with a cheesy topping!
The following is a general recipe for French Onion Soup
but this is a great soup that you can easily "wing" without a recipe.
Go ahead, wing it! Give it a try!
French Onion Soup
Serves 6-8
2 oz. (half a stick) unsalted butter
4 large yellow onions, sliced, to make apx. 8 cups
1 small baguette, cut into 1/4-1/2 inch slices
2 quarts low-sodium beef broth
2 cups grated Gruyere cheese
Salt and Pepper
Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat. Stir in the onions to coat well. Reduce the heat to low and slowly cook until the onions are very soft and taste sweet. Stirring occasionally. Apx. an hour until deeply browned.
While onions are caramelizing, make the baguette toasts by placing the baguette slices on a baking sheet. Place in a 350 degree onion dry-toast until lightly toasted on both sides. Set aside.
Add the broth to the caramelized onion and simmer to enrich the broth and combine the flavors. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Ladle the soup into oven proof bowls that have been placed on a baking sheet. Put 3 baguette toasts in each bowl and cover opening completely with cheese. Broil at high heat for a short few minutes (watch them so they don't burn). Be extra careful removing the hot bowls from the oven.
Serve and enjoy!
Thank you for visiting!
I will be linking up with
Rattlebridge Farms:
Fondly,
~Karen
