French Onion Soup
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes | Serves: 4 – 6
I love a good French Onion Soup! It is not a complicated dish. There are steps, as there are to most delicious recipes, but it is not a difficult dish. My touch of flair here lets your oven and a good dousing of an excellent-quality olive oil do the work for you. Most recipes are made of sliced yellow onions caramelized on the stovetop. Here you are bringing together a variety of onions to create flavor, texture, and aesthetics to your dinner table.
If you cannot get your hands on shallots, cipollinis, and pearl onions, use what you can. The oil and other ingredients will still work for you to create a yummy dinner.
I love the “hands-free” part of the recipe. I put my oven to good use while I clean dishes or prep for the next phase of the recipe. It may not be “traditional,” but the end result is a-mazing.
The quality of the extra-virgin olive oil does matter because it plays an important flavor factor in the recipe. There is a substantial amount used for the Onion Confit, but the flavor imparted is worth it. I love Abingdon Olive Oil Company’s oils and vinegars for my recipes.
If you like the idea of the “Onion Confit,” check out my recipe for Shallot Dipping Oil. The confit could also be used as a spread onto sandwiches or topped on toasted bread slices as a bruschetta.
Enjoy!
French Onion Soup
Ingredients
"Onion Confit":
- 1 large red onion, 1/4" slices
- 1 large yellow onion, 1/4" slices
- 4 large shallots, 1/4" slices
- 3 6-ounce pkgs cipollini onions, large onions halved or quartered
- 1 6-ounce pkg white pearl onions large onions halved, small onions left whole
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- extra-virgin olive oil, to cover
French Onion Soup:
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons reserved oil from Confit, or extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 quart unsalted or low-sodium beef stock,
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon excellent-quality dark, aged Balsamic vinegar, my favorite brand
- few stems fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
- 1 - 2 teaspoons freshly-cracked black pepper, or to taste
- 4 - 6 French baguette slices, 1/2" - 3/4" thick
- 1 cup Parmesan or Gruyère cheese, shredded
Instructions
- See Notes for easy peeling for the cipollinis and pearl onions.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- For the “Onion Confit”. Place the sliced onion varieties and garlic into a small baking pan. A loaf pan would work, also. Add enough oil to just cover the veggies. Season with salt and pepper. Stir.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Stir, and continue to bake for another 30 to 45 minutes, or until the confit is bubbling and has some browning.
- Remove from the oven and cool for about 30 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, reserving all the oil.
- Make the soup. In a medium pot or Dutch oven, heat the butter and 2 tablespoons of the reserved oil. Once hot, add the strained onion mixture and stir.
- Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir. Cook the flour for about 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the beef stock, Worcestershire, balsamic, thyme, salt and pepper to taste (depending on your stock), and stir. Bring up to a gentle simmer and allow the mixture to thicken slightly. You did not add much flour, so it will not thicken much. You don’t want a thick French Onion Soup; it should still be quite fluid. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Remove the herbs and taste. Adjust any salt, pepper, balsamic, and/or Worcestershire.
- Preheat the broiler to high. Set a rack about 6 to 8” below the broiler (See Notes about pre-toasting the baguette slices.)
- Place 4 to 6 individual oven-safe bowls on a baking sheet. Fill the bowls about 1” from the top with the soup. Top each bowl with a baguette slice. Sprinkle the cheese over the bread slices.
- Place the baking sheet under the broiler. Do not walk away. Keep an eye on the tops. Remove from the oven once the cheese has melted and is slightly browned, or until your desired browning.
- Serve very warm.
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