French Onion Soup

To make life easier, click on any underlined items and there is a direct link to purchase - these are the items I swear by…

INGREDIENTS:

4 Yellow Onion (If you prefer slightly sweeter, use 5 Yellow & no white onion)

1 White Onion

1 Shallot (medium)

8-10 Cloves Garlic (sliced or minced)

2 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon Truffle Oil

6 Tablespoons Salted Butter (I prefer salted Irish Butter)

64 oz Beef or Chicken  Broth/Stock (Low Sodium or Reg depending on preference) 

1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt - Fine

2 Tablespoons Low Sodium Soy Sauce

Thyme Sprigs (& twine) - I typically buy the small packets of fresh herbs found in most grocery stores - See pic of how I tie it to the handle of the pot

2 Tablespoon all purpose unbleached flour

2 Cups Dry Red Wine

¼ Cup Dry Sherry

2 Tablespoons soy sauce (low sodium)

½ Teaspoon salt

8 Mini Croissants cut into ½” cubes (I find the mini ones easier to cut into smaller cubes than the large ones, but either option works) - I have tried using baguette, sourdough and whole wheat - these don’t work for me but might be options for you depending on taste buds

2 Cups shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese (If you prefer the sweeter side, Emmenthal  is a good option or Fontina which adds a bit of a nutty flavor) - my first choice is Gruyere 

My easiest way to prep and not forget what was already included and in which order, is to peel, cut and portion out everything and line up in a row according to when ingredients are added...Like many of us, I tend to get easily distracted by texts, calls, or my boys :) And find this to be almost foolproof!
While not very sustainable, I also almost always print out the recipe and cross off as I add an ingredient to finish a step

KITCHEN ESSENTIALS FOR THIS RECIPE:

Adjustable Manual Mandoline Slicer (I love this one in particular because it allows to adjust how this I need the slides, for this soup I would use a really thin option, I like the onions alost paper thin)

Measuring Cups

Wide 5- 8 quart pot or 7 -9 quart cast iron pot

4 Mini 8-ounce (or 12 oz) dutch ovens or ramekins

Cutting Board

Small bowls to prep ingredients

Baking sheet

Sharp long knife (not serrated blade)

Wooden spoon

Cheese Grater (I love this one because it has a detachable container on the bottom)

PRE-COOKING PREP DIRECTIONS: 

1. Slice onions & shallot with mandoline (or chop manually) and garlic (if you prefer to use the jarred garlic, measure out 1 ½ tablespoons)

2. Pour the olive oil & truffle oil into pot along with butter

3. Take a few sprigs of the thyme and tie into a bundle - leave about 6-8” length of string on one side  (depends of now deep your pot is) as you will tie this to the handle of your pot, be careful to only leave a very short length of the string side which will be on the outside of the pot so it is far from heat - I usually do not like to leave more than 1” max 

4. I measure out  combine the wine & sherry in a measuring cup as they are added at the same time

NOW FOR THE FUN PART - COOKING!

1. Heat your pot with the oils and butter, stirring on high until the butter melts

2. Tie the thyme sprigs to the pot handle - again, please be careful and ensure that the long side of the string is INSIDE the pot with the onions,shallot and garlic

3. Carefully add the garlic, stir one minute and add onions & shallot and continue stirring - Keep the heat on medium & high - I go back & forth every couple minutes & stir for 20-25 minutes until the onions appear dark golden almost copper color - I stir with a wooden spoon so can scrape along the bottom and really get all the onions a darker color 

4. Turn heat down to medium and continue to stir another 10 minutes until the onions are really tender  

5. With heat on medium sprinkle in flour little by little, continue stirring - I like to do a light sprinkle, stir & repeat two or three times until the onions are not as shiny - they should get a little lighter in color & look dull and cook for a couple minutes while stirring

6. Carefully remove the thyme twine and discard 

7. Add the wine/sherry at this time - turn the heat up to medium/high for ~5 minutes and stir frequently until this comes to a boil 

8. Turn heat on medium add salt & soy sauce - stirring and cooking another 20 minutes, the onions should be looking like a darker purple/eggplant color) 

9. Add the beef/chicken broth next and turn the burner on high, stirring until it comes to a boil - then turn burner to medium/low and simmer for 20 minutes
   
   ...The soup part is now done!  Now comes the easy & tasty finishing part

10. Turn your oven on 375, place the croissants onto a foil lined tray and bake 7-9 minutes until dark golden brown 

11. Place your mini dutch ovens onto a baking sheet line them up so they are in the middle and forma straight line (as much as possible) and add little bit of the cheese in the bottom of your mini dutch oven

12. Carefully ladle the soup (make sure you share the onions equally) leaving about ½” from to the top

13. Place the baked croissants onto the top of the soup and cover with shredded cheese - how much is totally your preference but definitely use enough to cover the bread

14. Turn your broiler onto high and place your top rack at least 6” from the burner

15. Place your baking sheet with the dutch ovens onto the top rack under your burner - again, make sure that there are a few inches between the flame & bowls

16. Broil for 2-3 minutes but check it after 2 - depending on how close you are to the flame - leave in as long as you like or until cheese is bubbling but it can very easily start to burn if you don’t watch it

    …Carefully remove your baking sheet and place each of your mini dutch ovens onto a plate (or any other type of heat safe surface) and enjoy!