Ingredients
- 2kg brown onions, peeled
- 125g unsalted butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ bunch thyme, chopped very finely
- 3 fresh bay leaves
- 250ml brandy
- 2L stock
- salt and ground white pepper
- ½ baguette, sliced thinly
- 200g Gruyere cheese
- 1 tsp paprika
French onion soup
We take onions for granted so much of the time, considering them to be a building block of recipes, never valuable in their own right. Conceptually, the French onion soup is a remarkably simple recipe.
Take some onions, and cook them gently until they are sticky-sweet and lightly caramel. Classically, most Lyonnais chefs will add brandy and beef stock and reduce this mixture until dark and brooding, before finishing with Gruyere toasts.
Method
Preheat oven to 200°C.
Slice the onions very finely, then combine in a large saucepan with the butter and sauté over a medium heat for 20 minutes, until the onions are very soft.
Add the garlic, thyme and bay leaves and cook for a further 3 minutes.
Add the brandy and 500ml stock, and simmer until completely reduced, then repeat with another 500ml stock.
Add the remaining stock, season generously, and set aside. Ladle the soup into heatproof dishes, then sprinkle half the cheese over.
Place the remaining cheese on top of the baguette slices, then bake both the soups and the baguette slice for 3 minutes, until the cheese melts and the bread has toasted.
Serve with a sprinkling of paprika.
Submitted byFast Ed
Tips and Tricks
Try making your own beef stock to get more out of your beef bones. Its also a great way to make the most out of leftover vegies and herbs. Make a big batch and freeze in small portions for added convenience.
To make the most of bread that has gone slightly stale, make your own breadcrumbs – place bread slices on baking pan and bake in a hot oven then crumble. Breadcrumbs are best stored in the freezer in an airtight container.
As a general rule, try and buy only so much cheese as you can eat in two sittings. This will reduce the need for long cheese storage and reduce the chance of wastage.
