Prairiehare's French Onion Soup
A very simple recipe for a classic, which helps you to get warm in the winter (ok, I mean when it is getting 4° Celsius in the night in Southern California). The number of servings is accurate when you have it as a meal - as a starter it should serve way more people. I did not list any spices, as I usually have self made chicken broth which is already pretty tasty and spicy, sweetness comes from the onions and the white wine balances it. For bread and cheese - don't think about any fancy, old dry bread is good and any cheese which melts. The onions are king when it comes to taste. Ovenproof crock bowls are very nice for final preparation and serving the soup.
Yield
4 servingsPrep
30 minCook
4 hrsReady
Ingredients
| Amount | Measure | Ingredient | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | pounds |
onions
chopped in four or five slices, later on they disintegrate on their own |
*
|
| 1 | tablespoon |
avocado oil
|
*
|
| 1 | tablespoon |
butter
|
*
|
| 2 | cups |
chicken broth
ideally the one prepared after your last chicken meal, and already spiced |
*
|
| 1 | cup |
white wine
preferably a dry one |
*
|
| 1 | cup |
water
|
*
|
| 4 | slices |
bread
some old dry bread is perfect, nothing fancy needed |
*
|
| 12 | ounces |
cheddar cheese
any cheese which somehow melts is fine, does not need to be so special |
*
|
Ingredients
| Amount | Measure | Ingredient | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| 907.2 | g |
onions
chopped in four or five slices, later on they disintegrate on their own |
*
|
| 1 | tbsp |
avocado oil
|
*
|
| 1 | tbsp |
butter
|
*
|
| 473 | ml |
chicken broth
ideally the one prepared after your last chicken meal, and already spiced |
*
|
| 237 | ml |
white wine
preferably a dry one |
*
|
| 237 | ml |
water
|
*
|
| 4 | slices |
bread
some old dry bread is perfect, nothing fancy needed |
*
|
| 346.8 | ml/g |
cheddar cheese
any cheese which somehow melts is fine, does not need to be so special |
*
|
Directions
Tools and dishes
- Pot of 3.5 quart, ideally enameled. I would refrain from a steel or other metal pot, as the rather acidic onion soup sits there for while
- Oven proof crock bowls for serving (the lid on the picture is nice, but not really necessary)
- Under plate for these bowls if they dont come with some
- Heat proof kitchen gloves
Preparation
- Cut each onion in four or five slices. They will further disintegrate on their own in course of the process
Cooking
- Melt the butter and the avocado oil in the pot; avoid that the butter gets dark
- Add the onions
- Close the lid and let the onions slowly cook(rather simmer) for two hours
- Add wine, water and chicken broth and stir everything
- Heat up until the soup shortly broils
- Reduce the heat and let it simmer for another two hours
Resting
- Let the soup cool down to room temperature in the pot
- Let it sit in the pot in the fridge or an equally cold place
Final preparation
- Preheat the oven to 450 ° F (230° C)
- Reheat the soup in the pot on the stove top
- Fill the soup in the oven proof crock bowl
- Add bread crumbs and an bigger part of a bread slice to cover the soup
- Add on top of the bread slices of cheese , so it is fully covered
- Let it sit in the oven for 6 to 8 minutes, until the cheese is molten and starts bubbling
- Don't forget to use the kitchen gloves when serving!
