Cold winter nights are meant for having hot steaming soups in the dinner. A bowl of hot soup and some crusty bread to dunk in, while sitting under the cover of your cozy blanket is the most comfortable proposition that could possibly happen on a dreadful cold night. Most of the time I would resort to my mix vegetable soup, which is basically a mix vegetable soup with whatever there is leftover in the fridge. But sometimes during weekends when I have got enough time, I would rather splurge onto making something as fascinating as french onion soup. I had been wanting to make this soup, ever since I saw the recipe in Monsieur David Lebovitz’s My Paris Kitchen. The story behind him including the recipe of this french onion soup in his cookbook and the nostalgia behind this being long forgotten off the restaurant’s menus in the city made me feel like a traveller who is experiencing it at first hand. The kind of soup which has big slices of crusty baguette that are totally filled with the hot simmering broth and topped with lava-like cheese that forms a long stretching strings when you pull the spoon away from your mouth after each bite, is probably best suited to be enjoyed at home. And that makes it all the more comforting. I would love to gorge on such hearty meals in winters forever. It is just impractical to resist a steaming bowl of caramelized onions in a hearty broth.
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1.2 kg onions, peeled and very thinly sliced
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup white wine
- 2 liter chicken/vegetable stock
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 6 slices hearty baguette, well toasted
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled, for rubbing the toast
- 3 cups grated Emmenthal cheese
- Melt the butter in a large pot. Add the onions and sugar and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent.
- Add the garlic, salt and pepper and continue to cook for 1 1/2 hours, stirring less frequently and decreasing the heat to avoid burning as the onion continue to cook down. The onions are done when they have collapsed into a thick amber-brown paste.
- Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the wine and stock and bring to boil and decrease the heat and simmer slowly for 45 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the vinegar, salt and pepper, adjusting to your taste.
- Rub the garlic on bread slices and toast.
- Preheat the oven to 200 degree C. Divide the soup among bowls. Put the bread on top of soup and sprinkle the cheese generously over them. Place the bowls on top rack of oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and deeply browned. Serve immediately.