French onion soup is probably one of my favorite comfort meals. Unlike most soups which require a good amount of aging to bring all the flavors together, you can achieve great flavor in a short amount of time.
Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 Minutes Yield: 4-6 Servings
Ingredients:
- 5 large yellow onions – sliced thin
- 64 ounces beef broth or stock (2- 32 oz. packages)
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 1 cup Madeira wine (fortified wine)
- 3 bay leaves
- 10 thyme sprigs
- 4 garlic cloves (diced and crushed)
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Slice the onions thin and place in a large bowl and set aside. In a large sauce pan or stock pot, melt two sticks of butter on low heat. When the butter is melted, turn the heat to medium high and add your garlic.
Sauté for approximately 1 minute or until garlic is translucent and aromatic. Now add your thyme sprigs and sliced onions to the sauce pan. Season them with salt and pepper and continue to sauté the onions over medium heat for about 20 minutes. You’re going to want to constantly stir so not to burn. Next, add your Madeira wine to the sauce pan. Reduce heat to low and cook for another 20 minutes or until onions get a nice deep caramel color and a majority of the liquid has been reduced.
Remove the thyme sprigs, and if you are using a sauce pan add the caramelized onions to a stock pot. Dust the onions with ¼ cup of all purpose flour and stir to fully incorporate. Next pour 64 ounces of beef broth to the stock pot , add 3 bay leaves and bring to a boil. Once at a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover the stock pot. After cooking for approximately 30 minutes, remove the bay leaves from the pot. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.
Slice your baguette. Ladle the soup into an oven safe bowl, place your baguette into the center of the bowl add a little more broth to weigh it down. Cover with the cheese and place under the broiler. Once the cheese is nice and golden brown, remove and enjoy.