You will need:
- 100 g butter
- 8 onions sliced
- 1 tbsp thyme picked
- 120 ml sherry wine
- 1 ltr brown chicken or veal stock
- salt and pepper
- 16 approx slices of baguette
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 100 g grated Swiss cheese, Cheddar or Gruyere
Step 1:
Start by placing pan on a high heat. Add the butter and let it melt. Just before it starts to brown, add about one third of the onions and stir slightly, just to let them settle. Let them sweat for about 5 minutes.
When they start to brown, add another batch of onions. Repeat until all the onions are brown and well-caramelised, approximately after 20 minutes. The onions can be caramelised in small or large batches depending on the size of the pot.
TIP:
Caramelisation is a process by which the sugar content of a food is cooked or oxidized until it results in a brown colour with a nutty flavour.
It is a very common cooking method used in not only the making of sweet but also brings a distinct flavour to dishes like this French Onion Soup.
Step 2:
When the onions are nicely caramelized, add the sherry, the thyme, and the chicken stock and season with salt and pepper. Scrape the bottom of the pan to integrate the residues from the caramelised onions that are stuck to the pan.
Now stir the mixture, bring it to a simmer, and let it cook for about 20 minutes.
Step 3:
You can now set the oven to its grill setting.
Step 4:
Place slices of the bread on a tray and taking the garlic, rub each slice individually. Turn the pieces and repeat for the other side. Next, brush olive oil on each piece, season slightly with salt and pepper, turn them, and season as before.
Place in oven for a minute until brown. Turn them to the other side and grill for another minute.
Step 5:
Next, skim the foam that has gathered on the surface of the soup and remove the french onion soup from the heat.
Step 6:
Carefully spoon the soup into oven-resistant soup bowls. Now place a few of your freshly-made croutons on top and cover them with heaping amounts of grated cheese. Place in the oven for a minute, just until the cheese is melted.
TIP:
You can never have too much melted cheese on top of Onion soup. Don't hold back!
Step 7:
Garnish the piping hot french onion soup with a few sprigs of thyme and it is ready to enjoy!
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