My Favorite French Onion Soup Recipe Requires No Babysitting
The idea of eating a bunch of onions seems completely absurd until you caramelize them and turn them into soup. Suddenly your whole family will start talking about onion dinner with great reverence.
You might think it’s the cheesy hunk of bread floating on top that wins hearts, but umami explorers know to give credit to the sweet, hearty, caramelized flavor of a mountain of slow-cooked chopped onions. Caramelizing onions is a hassle, so I want to introduce you to an option that doesn’t require a helicopter to attend to.
If you’ve ever successfully caramelized onions, you know it takes at least 45 minutes. To get silky-soft, deeply browned onion strands in a regular pan, you need to cook them over low heat and stir frequently to avoid burning. Knowing that you’re already agreeing to some procedure anyway, why not make the method less risky with a high-powered fryer ?
French onion soup prepared for frying pan
This method takes a long time to cook, but the heavy material of the roasting pan ensures even heat distribution, allowing you to cook the onions slowly without those dreaded hot spots that threaten burnt onions. Essentially, this method simmers them in their own buttery onion broth until they are very soft. The lid retains moisture so the flavors can fully develop without the onions starting to brown too quickly.
Dutch ovens have the added benefit of being enameled. When a regular pan gets scum (bits of food that stick to the bottom of the pan and brown), you’ll have to scrape it up pretty quickly to keep it from burning. The glass surface of the Dutch oven doesn’t seem to burn as quickly, and the smooth surface releases it easily when you start stirring.
Using this low-maintenance method, you can feel relaxed within the first 45 minutes. You’ll then be faced with about 15 minutes of intermittent action in the middle before letting the soup simmer for another 20 minutes. (All the while, you’ll enjoy the intoxicating aroma of caramelized onions and butter.)
This soup is brothy, but filled with soft, velvety onions and rich in umami. Besides, a piece of cheese bread never hurt anyone. (Although they seem like small additions, I have to insist on the herbs—they enhance the dish, and once you let them simmer for 15 minutes, you’ll feel the difference.)
Low and Slow French Onion Soup Recipe
Ingredients:
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4 tablespoons unsalted butter
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8–10 cups chopped onions (use a variety or one type)
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1 teaspoon salt
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A little sherry vinegar (about a tablespoon or so)
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A little dry red wine (about a tablespoon or so)
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3 ½ cups beef broth
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6 sprigs thyme
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2 small bay leaves
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Slices of stale hearty bread for filling
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Semi-hard cheese for filling
1. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add onion and salt and mix thoroughly. Cover the pan with a lid, let it brew and cook the onions for about 15 minutes.
2. Remove the lid and stir the onions. They should be very soft and release a lot of water. If it bubbles a lot, reduce the heat so it simmers evenly. Let them continue to cook, uncovered, for another 30-45 minutes, but keep stirring them every 10 minutes or so to check everything is ok. During this time, the oily onion water will boil down.
3. As the cooking time completes, you will notice some brown bits appearing on the onions and the onions will become more golden in color. This is a time when you need to be more present. Continue cooking the onions, but peel them and stir them every three to five minutes. They will begin to darken. Do this until you are happy with the color of the onion. If they ever get too dry, you can add a little water to defrost the fudge in the bottom of the pan.
3. Add sherry vinegar and wine, then add stock and herbs. Let it all simmer for 20 minutes over low heat. You can cover the pan, but break the lid.
4. Meanwhile, sprinkle the bread slices with cheese. (Gruyère is classically used, but you can use Swiss cheese, pecorino, provolone, or anything light.) Toast the sliced bread until the cheese melts.
5. Remove greens from soup. If you have any stale bread left over, slice it up and toss it into the bottom of each soup bowl. Ladle the soup into bowls and grate some cheese on top. Then top each serving with a piece of cheese bread.