French Onion Soup

When I’m sick, I’m pretty pathetic. So the other day when I had a cold, I really wanted soup, but didn’t want to put the effort in to anything too difficult. It may come as a surprise to you then to hear that I made French onion soup to make me feel better.

When you think about it, the actual effort into making the soup isn’t a lot, it just takes awhile. I started with Smitten Kitchen’s French Onion Soup Recipe, but made some adjustments. Since it’s currently just me, I halved the size of the beef stock making the size of the soup smaller, but not sacrificing the onion flavor (I love onions). I also don’t own cognac or brandy so I used bourbon. Finally, I can’t eat cheese, so I ignored the cheesy toast on the top, and just cut up a baguette instead.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds (about 5 cups) thinly sliced yellow onions
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon table salt, plus additional to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 quart (4 cups) beef (you could use vegetable stock if you wanted to make this vegan)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons bourbon
• 1 baguette

Instructions

1. Melt the butter and oil together in the bottom of a 4- to 5-quart saucepan or Dutch oven over moderately low heat. Add the onions, toss to coat them in oil and cover the pot. Reduce the heat to real low and let them slowly steep for 15 minutes. They don’t need your attention; you can even go check your email.
2. After 15 minutes, uncover the pot, raise the heat slightly and stir in the salt and sugar. Cook onions, stirring frequently, for 30 to 40 minutes until they have turned an even, deep golden brown. Don’t skimp on this step, as it will build the complex and intense flavor base that will carry the rest of the soup. Plus, from here on out, it will be a cinch.
3. After the onions are fully caramelized, sprinkle them with flour and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the wine in full, then stock, a little at a time, stirring between additions. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and simmer partially covered for 30 to 40 more minutes, skimming if needed. Correct seasonings if needed but go easy on the salt as the cheese will add a bit more saltiness and I often accidentally overdo it. Stir in the bourbon.
4. Slice the baguette and toast. Dip into the soup as necessary.