French Onion Soup

As I mentioned yesterday, I’m trying to cook my way through the produce from my last Costco trip. I purchased a HUGE bag on onions which keep for a pretty long time, but it inspired me to try my hand at French onion soup. It use to be one of my favorite soups to get at a restaurant, but I haven’t had it in about three years since I stopped eating gluten. The soup itself is inherently gluten free, but it is usually topped with bread and cheese. I have to say it turned out pretty darn good. From my home to yours, here is the recipe:

 

Ingredients:

• Olive oil or butter (butter is ALWAYS my preference, but we were out *gasp*)
• 5 large yellow onions (must be yellow), sliced thinly and rings separated
• Salt
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 Tbsp thyme
• 6 cups of beef broth
• ½ cup dry vermouth, sherry or red wine  
• Optional: toasted French or sourdough bread, Gruyere cheese, salt and pepper to taste

Once you have sliced all of the onions you are going to think there are wayyyyyy too many. When you finish caramelizing them the volume should reduce to about 1/3 the original volume, so stick with me here. 

1. Add your olive oil or butter to your pan and set the temperature to high heat. I used a wok, but any large pan with high sides would do.  Add your onions and sprinkle with salt. The salt helps draw out the moisture in the onions and “sweat” them so don’t skip this step. Now spend the next 30-45 minutes continually stirring your onions till your arm feels like it's going to fall off. You will learn quickly that they will burn if you neglect them for even a minute. Carmelization happens when the sugar from the onions is released. Some recipes tell you to add sugar to “help” caramelize the onions, but I am adamantly opposed to this. It simply isn’t necessary and I feel it makes them taste too sweet and artificial. Keep stirring till all of the onions are translucent and have achieved a caramel color (it takes a long time, but it's worth it).
2. Add your garlic and sauté for another minute or so, just till the garlic browns. Add your thyme and bay leaf. Reduce the heat to medium.
3. I used jarred beef broth so at this point I mixed the water with bouillon paste and brought it to a boil as the directions called for.
4. Add one cup of broth to the onions and use the liquid to deglaze the pan. Deglazing is a fancy way of saying scrape off all of the yummy bits and caramel that has developed on the sides and bottom of the pan. Continue to add your broth one cup at a time, stirring and allowing the onions to absorb a little between each cup. Add your vermouth (or sherry, or red wine).
5. Turn down the heat, cover and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes.
6. If you are going with the optional items, cut the bread into thick rounds and toast in the oven. When the soup is finished, ladle soup into to individual oven safe bowls or ramekins. Place toasted bread on each serving, cover with cheese and broil in the oven till melted. 
7. Enjoy! The end product is a delightful mix of salty and sweet with a slightly earthy finish. 



Please excuse this terrible photo, it doesn't do the soup justice.