- 6
- 20 mins
- 140 mins
Ingredients
- 1 stick Butter
- 4 whole Large (or 6 Medium) Yellow Onions, Halved Root To Tip, And Sliced Thin
- 1 cup (generous) Dry White Wine
- 4 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
- 4 cups Beef Broth
- 2 cloves Minced Garlic
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Several Thick Slices Of French Bread Or Baguette
- 5 ounces, weight (to 7 Ounces) Gruyere Cheese, Grated
Preparation
Step 1
Heat 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter in a heavy, ovenproof soup pot or dutch oven over medium-low heat.
Give ‘em a good stir, coating them all with the melted butter.
Cover the pot and continue cooking over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, give the onions a stir and place the pot into a 400-degree oven for 1 hour. Keep the pot covered, but crack the lid a bit to give the onions a chance to get brown. I learned this oven trick from Cooks Illustrated, and I love it because it eliminates the need to babysit the onions on the stovetop. Plus, they get much more brown in the oven.
Stir the onions halfway through the cooking process
When you pull the pan out of the oven, turn the heat on medium. Scrape the bits off the side and bottom of the pan.
Cook the onions over medium heat, stirring gently, for about five minutes. Turn off the heat.
Immediately pour in the glass of wine—a generous cup. Then turn the heat back on medium.
Pour in 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth…
(Pssst. If you were to pour in the beef broth first, I wouldn’t tell anyone.)
Now just turn the heat to simmer.
Toss it into the soup. Mmmm. It’ll make a difference later.
Now just simmer the soup, covered, for about 30 to 45 minutes.
While the soup is simmering, take this opportunity to grate the Gruyere.
I like to broil them on low heat so that the pieces of bread will become a little on the crispy side. It’ll need to be crispy before getting plunged into the soup.
Place the bread round on top of the soup…
Place the ramekins/bowls on a cookie sheet under the broiler until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Keep the broiler a little on the low side if you can control that setting, and be sure to watch it constantly so it won’t burn to a crisp.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Melt butter in a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook, covered, for 20 minutes. Place soup pot into the oven with the lid slightly ajar to ensure the onions will brown. Allow onions to cook in the oven for 1 hour, stirring at least once during the cooking process so onions won’t stick and burn.
Remove pot from oven and place back on stovetop over medium heat. Stir, scraping off all the brown, flavorful bits. Turn off heat and pour in wine. Turn heat back to medium. Cook wine for five minutes, allowing it to reduce. Add broths, Worcestershire Sauce and minced garlic and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.
Butter one side of the bread slices and broil over low heat, allowing bread to brown and become crispy.
When soup is ready, ladle into bowl or ramekin. Place crispy bread on top, and then sprinkle generously with grated cheese. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly.