I’m on a soup craze for January, hearing about all of the cold in the Midwest and East makes me want to eat hot soup, plus the soups I’m making are very healthy and pretty easy.
French onion soup is so good and warming. It does take a little more time to caramelize the onions right, but I made this a few days ago, then put it into big jars in the fridge to savor later. Instead of doing the whole big crouton in the bowl and under the broiler thing, I made the cheesy croutons in the oven separately, cut them up and served hot on top of the soup…much easier to eat and you don’t need to buy the crocks.
The right type of onions is crucial. I love sweet onions, but they turn mushy. Red onions are best for holding up and flavor. I didn’t have enough so I added one yellow onion and it still turned out great.
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 3 Red Onions, sliced thinly
- Salt
- 2 Tablespoons Flour
- 1/2 Cup Red Wine
- 4 Cups Chicken Broth
- 1 Can Beef Consomme
- 1 Cup water
- 1 Sprig of fresh Thyme
- 1 Bay Leaf
- Thick slices of Bread
- Havarti Cheese slices (or use Swiss and some Asiago)
Directions
Melt the butter in a large stockpot or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the onions and 1/2 tsp. salt and stir. Cook, stirring frequently until the onions are reduced and syrupy and the pan gets brown on the bottom and sides. Add flour and stir and few more minutes before adding the wine to deglaze the pan. Add the chicken broth, beef consomme, water and the herbs and simmer for 20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper, remove the herbs. Ready to serve, or put in the fridge for a few days to serve later.
For croutons, heat oven to low broil. Cut thick slices of baguette or I used my favorite “Pain Pascal” from Trader Joes. Put a slice of cheese on each slice and broil (on a parchment line baking sheet) until bubbly and slightly brown. Cut into crouton sizes for easier eating and place on top of hot soup. Oooh La-La
Cheesy Croutons allow you to use any bowl when you don’t have a crock.