Baby is cruising along at 17 weeks and is now as big as an onion! Around 5 inches. I chose the delicious golden yellow onion for this week’s challenge. How can I highlight the overlooked kitchen workhorse staple in a recipe? Ah. Let’s look to the French. They know what to do with an onion. Here we go-French Onion Soup. It’s March and cold and rainy outside. I’m smelling thyme, beef broth, white wine and sherry swirling in the kitchen. Let’s all tuck into a hot bowl of caramelized French Onion Soup that covers a submerged chunk of stale French bread and topped with gooey melted Gruyère cheese.
Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons butter
3-4 large yellow onions(about 3 pounds) peeled and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
2 quarts homemade or boxed beef stock
1 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon sherry
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon flour
½ teaspoon black pepper
8-12 ½ inch slices French Bread-stale is fine
1 ½ cups grated Gruyère cheese
Melt butter in a heavy Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and 1 teaspoon salt, stir, and cover, letting onions soften for 5 minutes. Remove lid and let onions caramelize until a deep golden brown over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Adjust heat if onions are browning too quickly. This could take 45-90 minutes.
Warm broth in a saucepan over low heat.
Once onions are caramelized, add wine and sherry to the pot and allow the mixture to come to a boil. Stir in the flour and thicken for a minute or two.
Slowly add the warm broth, Worcestershire sauce,and pepper and boil uncovered for 10 minutes. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
Heat the broiler and arrange individual ovenproof casseroles on a baking sheet. Ladle soup into casseroles and cover with the bread slices. Sprinkle each generously with the cheese.
Broil until the cheese melts and browns. Serve immediately.