Ultimate comfort food? French onion soup! This is such a wonderful concoction and the secret is two-fold: first, use the best quality stock you can. Now, this recipe calls for both beef and chicken broth and its a tall order to have home made beef and chicken broth on hand - but do what you can. The second secret is slow cooking the onions. The longer and slower the cooking of the onions, the greater the effect of the carmelization.
This recipe draws largely on Alton Brown's method, starting with his technique of using an electric skillet which allows you to perfectly control the temperature for long, slow cooked onions. Heck, Cherie bought one just for this purpose (though we've found it handy for so many other uses, too). The other surprise addition for some might be the cider which imparts more than just sweetness to the soup - go for the unfiltered if you can.
INGREDIENTS
3 large, sweet onions, preferabley Vidalias or Maui onions
2 large red onions (total weight of all five onions should be about 4 pounds)
3 tbsp butter
1 tsp salt
2 cups white wine
10 oz beef broth
10 oz chicken broth
10 oz apple unfiltered apple cider
Bouquet garni: thyme sprigs, bay leaf and parsley tied together with kitchen string
1 loaf crusty french bread
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
Splash of brandy, cognac or amagnac (optional)
1½ cups Gruyere cheese, grated plus two handfuls (or more to taste) of grated Parmesan chees
PREPARATION
- Trim the ends off each onion then halve lengthwise. Remove peel and finely slice into half moon shapes.
- Set electric skillet to 300 degrees and add butter. Once butter has melted add a layer of onions and sprinkle with a little salt. Repeat layering onions and salt until all onions are in the skillet. Do not try stirring until onions have sweated down for 15 to 20 minutes. After that, stir occasionally until onions are dark mahogany and reduced to approximately 2 cups. This should take 45 minutes to 1 hour. Do not worry about burning.
- Add enough wine to cover the onions and turn heat to high, reducing the wine to a syrup consistency.
- Add consume, chicken broth, apple cider and bouquet garni. Reduce heat and simmer 15 to 20 minutes.
- Place oven rack in top 1/3 of oven and heat broiler.
- Cut French bread in rounds large enough to fit mouth of oven safe soup crocks.
- Place the slices on a baking sheet and place under broiler for 1 minute.
- Season soup mixture with salt, pepper and cognac. Remove bouquet garni and ladle soup into crocks leaving one inch to the lip.
- Place bread round, toasted side down, on top of soup and top with grated cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly and golden, 1 to 2 minutes.
