Irish Onion Soup

By hanley89

Ingredients

• Unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons
• Yellow onions, 2 medium (halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick pieces)
• Irish whiskey, 3 tablespoons
• Granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon
• Kosher salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons plus a pinch
• All-purpose flour, 1 1/2 tablespoons
• Garlic, 1 clove (finely chopped)
• Dark Irish beer (such as Guinness), 1/2 cup
• Beef stock or broth, 6 1/2 cups
• Freshly ground black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon
• Day-old baguette, eight 3/4-inch-thick slices
• Sharp cheddar (preferably Irish cheddar), eight 1/4-inch-thick slices

Preparation

Step 1

1. In a large skillet set over medium heat, melt the Unsalted butter
Once the butter has melted and the white foam subsides, add the Sliced onions,Cook, using a wooden spoon to stir occasionally, until the onions are soft and golden, about 20 minutes.

2. Add the Irish whiskey
If you have a gas burner, carefully tilt the pan toward the flame to flambé the onion-and-whiskey mixture. If you have an electric or induction cooktop, use a long match to flambé the whiskey (or you can skip the flambéing altogether). Stir in the Granulated sugar
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions turn a darker shade of brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in a Pinch of kosher salt,All-purpose flour
and Finely chopped garlic
Cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Then, while stirring, pour in the Dark Irish beer
Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the dark beer is reduced by one-third, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the Beef stock,Remaining 1½ teaspoons kosher salt and Freshly ground black pepper
Bring the soup to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes.

4. Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the broiler to high. Divide the soup among 4 oven-safe bowls and set them on a rimmed baking sheet. To each bowl, add 2 bread slices.
Cover each slice of bread with 2 pieces of the sliced sharp cheddar
Set the rimmed baking sheet on the upper-middle oven rack and broil until the cheese is melted, golden and bubbling, 3 to 5 minutes (watch the cheese closely, as broiler intensities vary). Remove from the oven and serve immediately.