French Onion Soup

Step 1

Prepare onions by slicing root to stem, removing the outer layer, and then slicing with the grain in 1/8" slices (see post or video for detailed instructions and visual). Set aside.

Step 2

Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.

Step 3

Add sliced onions, sugar, and salt and stir until all onions have been coated with butter. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.

Step 4

Uncover and continue to cook, stirring as needed, until onions are caramelized, this will take approximately 40-60 minutes. Near the end you will need to stir the onions frequently to keep them from burning and may need to reduce your heat. If the onions begin to stick to the bottom, simply deglaze the pan with a small splash of your beef broth.

Step 5

Once onions are caramelized, pour the wine over the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until the wine has been absorbed/cooked out and the alcohol smell is gone (about 3-5 minutes).

Step 6

Sprinkle flour over the onions and stir, cooking on medium/low heat for 2 minutes.

Step 7

Add beef broth (add the first half of this slowly, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan as you do), thyme, bay leaves, and black pepper. Stir well and increase heat to bring to a boil.

Step 8

Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 15-30 minutes. Meanwhile, arrange your oven rack to the upper third of your oven and preheat oven to 425F (220C).

Step 9

Place your bread slices in an even layer on a baking sheet. If desired, brush each side lightly with melted butter. Once oven is preheated, cook the bread until lightly toasted, about 5-10 minutes. Remove from oven (don’t turn off the oven!) and slice the garlic clove in half. Rub the cut half of the garlic against one surface of each slice of bread (the bread will be hot! I usually hold the bread with tongs while I rub the garlic against the surface).

Step 10

Once soup has simmered, taste it and add more salt as needed (whether or not you need more and how much will vary greatly depending on the brand and type of broth you used). Remove thyme and bay leaves as you come across them.

Step 11

Portion soup into crocks and sprinkle a bit of Gruyere over the surface. Top with bread slices (as many as fit nicely into the crock) and then top with additional cheese.

Step 12

Arrange crocks on a baking sheet and place in the top rack of your oven and bake until cheese is bubbly and beginning to turn golden brown.

Step 13

Remove and serve, topped with additional fresh thyme if desired.