French onion soup is a perfect fall soup. It’s also the perfect hangover soup – and hangovers are a year round season. So French onion soup is perfect all the time really.
Anyway, now that the wisco weather is sharpening its teeth for the inevitable harsh bite of winter, I figured now was a perfect time for this easy recipe.
When I see French onion soup on a menu, it’s hard for me not to order. But the spectrum of soup varies wildly. From a too thin all broth no onion, to a soup that’s all cheese and not French onion at all – it’s hard to find balance. It’s why I set out on this noble endeavor. To make a consistently great soup I can easily enjoy at home. (I do want to give a shout out to the Great Dane in Madison for a French onion soup that will save man’s soul – and hangover).
Time:
About 30-45 minutes prep, 45 minutes to cook
What you’ll need:
- 5 yellow onions
- 32 oz beef broth
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/3 cup of olive oil
- 1 bottle Pinot Grigio (Or any other cheap, semi dry white wine)
- 1 tsp sugar
- Salt
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp basil
- Pepper
- 3 tablespoons of flour
- 3 oz of your favorite cheese (Swiss, Gouda, Gruyère)
What You Do
- Caramelizing the onions:
- Chop the onions into hearty chunks (Don’t worry too much about size, they will shrink down when caramelized)
- On a skillet add 1/4 cup of olive oil and 2 tbsp of butter over medium heat
- Once the butter melts add the onions and toss them around the fats
- Leave covered for about 15 minutes, stop to stir occasionally
- At about the 20 minute mark, add 1 tsp of sugar and stir. Let the onions sit for another 15 minutes
- Keep stirring. By now the onions should begin to brown and soften.
- Once they brown, add 1/2 cup of white wine and the flour to the onions, stir it all in and let sit for 5 more minutes
- In a large stock pot:
- Add beef broth and season with some basil, the bay leaves, and pepper, and chopped garlic cloves
- Set heat to medium and bring to a simmer
- Once broth simmers, add the onions and another cup of wine (If you like your soup thicker, whisk in some more flour)
- Let it sit covered and simmer on a low heat for 40 minutes to about an hour. The longer you wait, the better it tastes
- While waiting, preheat the oven to 300 degrees
- In an oven safe bowl, add soup and a thick slice of your cheese of choice. Serve and enjoy
*Optional: Serve with a nice homemade bread, pretzel stick, or croutons. Also, you probably half a lot of wine left, so go ahead and drink the rest.