Sunday Soup

French onion soup is in the air. Perhaps because many of us are reading the same blogs as part of NaBloPoMo, I have read about French onion soup in two separate posts recently and it really got me in the mood. (Can I remember which blogs, or find them via a cursory look? No, I cannot.)

French onion is one of my favorite soups, and I have never been able to make it the way I think it should taste, although I keep trying. There are two French onion soups that I have had in my life that I am aiming to replicate. One bowl was at the Pluckemin Inn in Bedminster, NJ. The other was at the Marriott Hotel restaurant in Delray Beach, FL; the former still exists, although I do not know if they continue to offer the amazing onion soup. The latter has changed hands a few times since I went there in the early aughts.

What they had in common was an exultant richness of broth. Dark, heavy to the point of almost being thick. No meat in either soup, and yet with a distinct meaty unctuousness. Oh, how I loved those soups. 

I have experimented with making my own French onion soup, but have never quite been able to match the flavor of those two idyllic soups. I’m getting closer, though…

One thing you should know about me is that I do not like soggy food. So I do not top my onion soup with a cheesy crouton. When I eat soup at restaurants I sort of peel the cheese off the bread and eat that, and then… sort of eat the broth around the bread. I know. I am very strange. 

Since I am planning on making French onion soup this week, I thought I would post the recipe. (Do not fret, though; there is LOTS of cheesy goodness in my soup.)

I make a modified version of Ina Garten’s soup.

This soup tastes so much better than it looks.

Super Rich and Cheesy French Onion Soup

(approximately 6 servings)

Ingredients:

• 2 slices bacon
• 6 onions, cut in half, then sliced into ¼ inch strips¹
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 bay leaf
• 3-6 sprigs of fresh thyme 
• 1 cup medium-dry sherry (Ina calls for ½ cup brandy and ½ cup sherry; I do not have brandy)
• 1 ½ cups white² wine (wine you would drink; I usually use Chardonnay)
• 8 cups beef stock (Ina calls for 4 cups beef stock and 4 cups veal stock)
• 1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Shredded gruyere cheese, to taste (I like a lot of cheese)
• French baguette, cut into ½ inch slices

Instructions:

• Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees F.

• In a large stockpot, cook bacon until brown (5-10 minutes on medium low; watch carefully or your bacon may burn). 

• Remove bacon to a paper towel; eat both slices while you cook, or crush them into bits to sprinkle over your soup later. 

• Add 1 Tbsp of butter to the bacon grease in the pot; increase heat to medium-high. Add sliced onions, bay leaf, and thyme sprigs, and stir, occasionally, for about 30-45 minutes until they are much reduced in size and a deep, caramelized brown. 

• Deglaze the pan with the sherry, scraping up any browned bits, and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

• Stir in the soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce.

• Add the wine and simmer, uncovered, for an additional 15 minutes.

• Add the beef stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.

• Heat slices of baguette in the oven on a baking sheet for five minutes or until they are light golden brown. 

• When soup is ready, ladle it into oven-safe bowls. Sprinkle with shredded gruyere; some of it will get caught in strands of onion, some of it will sink to the bottom and add a nice little cheesy layer.
• Add a slice of baguette to the top of the soup and sprinkle liberally with shredded gruyere³. Move your bowl to the baking sheet and broil for 3-5 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbling. 

• Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes (ha, as if) before eating. 

Notes: 

1. Make sure you get a variety of types of onions, except red – I usually get two white onions, two Spanish onions, and two sweet onions. You should aim for 6 to 8 cups of onions, if that helps you with onion sizing.
2. Next time I make this, I might try red wine instead of white; I am hopeful it will lend some additional richness to the broth. 
3. If you don’t like soggy bread, top additional toasted slices of baguette with gruyere and add them to the baking sheet; broil until melted and bubbly. The cheesy slices are good for dipping into the soup, or for eating by themselves.

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