Soupe à l’Oignon Gratinée

French Onion Soup was the very first recipe we learned in culinary school. The "recipe" was simple and consisted of just 2 ingredients: onions and liquid. The lesson was not just in learning how to thinly slice onions, but in understanding the basic fundamentals of cooking and building flavors. While the most basic recipe could consist of simply cooking onions and water together, a savory beef stock adds richness, red wine adds depth and complexity, fresh herbs add earthiness. The slow process of caramelizing the onions and bringing out their natural sweetness, then simmering the broth to meld all of those delicious flavors yields a truly delicious dish. Topping it off with a toasted baguette and melty, nutty, gruyere cheese is a match made in French culinary heaven. This soup is one of Jim and my favorites (my Dad's, too). You'll be surprised to see how easy this restaurant-quality soup is to make right at home!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Large Yellow Onions
• 3 Tbsp. Salted Butter
• ½ Tbsp. Kosher Salt plus additional, to taste
• 1 tsp. Granulated Sugar
• 6 Cups Beef Stock (or Broth)
• 2 Cups Dry Red Wine
• 2 Bay Leaves
• Fresh Thyme Leaves
• Half Loaf French Baguette (or Italian Bread)
• 4 oz Gruyere
• Olive Oil

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1. Gather all of your ingredients.

Step 2: After peeling your onions, cut in half, and slice into thin strips.

Step 3: In a large pot, melt butter over medium high heat, add onions, and then reduce heat to medium. Add 1 tablespoon of kosher salt and 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar. Stir thoroughly to coat.

Step 4: Allow the onions to cook down, about an hour. The natural sugars, along with the added teaspoon of sugar will help the onions to caramelize, turning from white to yellow and then translucent. This process is known as "sweating", releasing the natural moisture in the onions to evaporate slowly as the sugars caramelize. You'll see plenty of liquid in the bottom of the pan. Stir every so often to ensure the onions are cooking down evenly.

Don't try and rush this process by increasing the heat, low and slow is key to building those flavors!

Step 5: After about an hour, you should begin to see that there is no liquid in the bottom of the pot as you stir, and the onions are a pale, translucent color.

Add the stock and wine, bay leaves and thyme. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a full simmer.

Taste the broth, add additional salt only as needed, and don't be heavy-handed; the seasonings will intensify as the broth continues to reduce.

After the soup has been simmering for about an hour, heat the oven to 300℉.

Step 6: Slice 4 rounds of bread, drizzle lightly with olive oil and toast in the oven about 12 minutes, then flip to toast the other side for a few additional minutes. When done, the bread should be firm to the touch, like a crouton.

Once the bread is out, turn on the oven's high broiler setting. In the meantime, grate the gruyere cheese and set aside.

Step 7: Portion the soup into individual sized, oven-safe bowls, and place on a sheet pan. Place one piece of bread on top of the soup, then add the grated cheese.

Step 8: Place the sheet pan into the oven and broil until the cheese has melted and the top, a light golden brown, about five minutes.

The soup bowls will be incredibly hot straight from the oven, so handle carefully. Sprinkle with additional fresh thyme leaves before serving.

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