French onion soup
When winter rolls around, a hearty French onion soup can warm you up.
The most time-consuming part is caramelizing the onions, a crucial step. Use the deepest, largest pan you have in the house to give you the surface area you need to cook this huge mound of onions.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 pounds onions, cut in half lengthwise, peeled and sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 6 cups beef broth
- Salt and pepper
- Optional sliced baguette, Dijon and gruyere or some other cheese
Directions
- Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Sauté the onions, garlic, and thyme, stirring frequently, for about 20 minutes or until the onions start turning brown.
- Add the sugar and cook for about another 10 minutes until the onions are nicely caramelized. This is important as it gives the soup its flavor.
- Add the flour and the Dijon mustard. Cook and stir for a couple of minutes.
- Add the wine and cook until it is almost all evaporated. Add the broth. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes. Season the soup with salt and pepper.
- Preheat the broiler. Toast some whole grain baguette slices. Spread them with Dijon mustard and top with some grated Gruyere or cheese of choice.
- In heat-proof serving bowls, ladle a serving of soup, top with the toasts, and broil until the cheese is melted.