Slow-Cooker French Onion Soup (ATK)

By hmp13

You can slice the onions the night before and toast the croutons up to 1 day ahead.
Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

• 2 pounds beef bones
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
• 6 large yellow onions (about 4 pounds), quartered and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
• 3/4 cup apple butter
• 3/4 cup dry sherry
• 5 tablespoons flour
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups beef broth
• Croutons
• 1 loaf French bread, cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 10 ounces shredded gruyere cheese (about 2 1/2 cups)

Preparation

Step 1

For the soup: arrange the beef bones on a paper towel-lined plate. Microwave until well browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, set the slow cooker to high. Add the butter to the slow cooker, cover and cook until melted. Add the onions, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, brown sugar, and thyme. Stir the apple butter, sherry, flour, and soy sauce together in a small bowl until smooth. Pour over the onions and toss to coat. Tuck the bones under the onions around the edge of the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high until the onions are softened and deep golden brown, 10 to 12 hours (start checking onions after 8 hours).

Remove the bones from the slow cooker. Heat the beef and chicken broth in the microwave until beginning to boil. Stir the broth into the slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the croutons: adjust an oven rack to be about 6 inches from the broiler element and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Arrange the bread slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until the bread is golden at the edges, about 10 minutes. Heat the broiler. Divide the cheese evenly among the croutons and broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly around the edges, 3 to 5 minutes.

Ladle the soup into bowls and top each serving with 2 croutons. Serve. (The onions can be cooked through step 1 up to 1 day ahead, transferred to a container, and refrigerated).