French Onion Soup RecipeLyonnaise-Style Onion Soup - Soupe à l’Oignon

By Suzolson

French Onion Soup is one of my favorite winter treats (actually I can thoroughly enjoy this soup any time of the year). This is a classic French Onion Soup
recipe. I have to admit that French Onion Soup does take a bit of time to make, as it takes time to properly caramelize the onions,
but this perfect French Onion Soup is so worth the effort! The base of the soup is simple as it is made by caramelizing onions until they are deliciously sweet and
golden brown. For best flavor, make the soup two days in advance.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 5 medium yellow (brown-skin)
• onions or red
• onions
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse
• salt
• 6 cups low-sodium canned chicken broth
• 1 3/4 cups low-sodium canned beef broth
• 1/4 cup dry red or white
• wine (your choice - you could even use sherry)
• 2 sprigs fresh parsley
• 1 sprig fresh
• thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon good-quality
• balsamic vinegar
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 French, Italian-style, or county-style baguette bread loaf
• 4 1/2 ounces Swiss or Gruyere cheese
• 3 ounces Asiago cheese

Details

Servings 6
Preparation time 35mins
Cooking time 80mins
Adapted from whatscookingamerica.net

Preparation

Step 1

Cut off the stem and root ends of the onions, then halve then lengthwise, and peel away the dried skin. Cut the onions into 1/4-inch slices. It is important to have all the onion slices roughly the same size so they cook evenly.

Melt butter in large soup kettle or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sliced onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt, stirring to coat onions thoroughly with butter. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are reduced and syrupy and inside of pot is coated with very deep brown crust, approximately 30 to 35 minutes.
Stir in chicken and beef broths, wine, parsley, thyme, and bay leaf, scraping pot bottom with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits; bring to simmer. Simmer to blend flavors, approximately 30 minutes. Remove herbs and discard. Stir in balsamic vinegar and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper to taste. At this point, the soup can be cooled to room temperature and refrigerated in an airtight container up to 2 days. To use, return to simmer before finishing soup with croutons and cheese.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. While the soup simmers, arrange the baguette slices in single layer on baking sheet and bake until the bread is dry, crisp, and golden at edges, about 10 minutes (watch carefully so they don't burn). Toasting the bread slows down the process of the bread getting soggy in the hot soup. Set aside until ready to use.

When ready to serve the onion soup, adjust oven rack to upper middle position; heat the broiler.

Set onion soup bowls (use fairly deep, oven- and broiler-safe serving bowls) on baking sheet and fill each with about 1 1/2 cups soup. Top each bowl with two (2) toasted baguette slices (do not overlap the bread) and divide Swiss cheese slices, laying them in a single layer on top of the bread. I like to let the slices over­lap the edge of the dish. It keeps the grated cheese from falling down into the soup, and looks cool when all brown and gooey. Remember, if you can see soup beneath, then you need more cheese.

Sprinkle the top of each with about 2 tablespoons grated Asiago cheese. Place the bowls into the oven, about 5 to 6 inches from the broiler and let broil until cheese is brown and bubbly, about 10 minutes.

Tip: For an onion soup not to collapse, the soup bowl has to be filled to the rim with the onion soup and the bread. The cheese layer should cover the whole surface, so it will stick to the sides and form a crust that holds its shape and doesn't sink.

Remove from oven and serve immediately. Let your guests know that the soup is really hot!

Makes 6 servings.