French Onion Soup
Delicious, classic French Onion Soup. Oven-roasted shallots, cipollini onions, and more.
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.
Notes
Blanching the onions makes peeling much easier to peel the cipollini and pearl onions. Bring enough filtered water to cover the onions up to a rolling boil. Carefully (so you don’t splash hot water on yourself) add the onions to the boiling water. Allow them to boil for about 2 minutes at the most. Pull them out with a slotted spoon or spider skimmer, and place them into ice water for about 3 to 5 minutes. Using a sharp paring knife, trim both ends and peel the skins off.
If your bowls cannot go into a hot oven/under the broiler, lay your baguette slices on a baking sheet, lightly spread unsalted butter (because your cheese will already have some saltiness to them) on each slice and top with shredded cheese. Pop the baking sheet under the broiler. Don’t walk away. Toast under the broiler to browning preference. Use a flat spatula to move the cheesy baguette slices to the tops of your soup bowls. Serve very warm.
Nutrition Facts
French Onion Soup
Amount per Serving
Calories
354.99
% Daily Value*
Fat
16.48
g
25
%
Saturated Fat
6.35
g
40
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
2.68
g
Monounsaturated Fat
6.45
g
Cholesterol
29.1
mg
10
%
Sodium
1401.68
mg
61
%
Potassium
424.13
mg
12
%
Carbohydrates
37.37
g
12
%
Fiber
5
g
21
%
Sugar
10.13
g
11
%
Protein
15.56
g
31
%
Vitamin A
141.08
IU
3
%
Vitamin C
13.18
mg
16
%
Calcium
277.6
mg
28
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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