French Onion Soup
by Karen Pierce
Submitted by: ChiChi
Recipe Source: Karen's Own Recipe
Keywords: low fat, fat free, healthy, diet, soup, onion, karen, elegant, dinner party, appetizer, main dish, crockpot
Ingredients:
Keywords: low fat, fat free, healthy, diet, soup, onion, karen, elegant, dinner party, appetizer, main dish, crockpot
Ingredients:
2 Yellow Onions, sliced & seperated
2 Cloves Garlic, minced or pressed
2 Tbls Butter
2 Tbls Olive Oil
1 Tbls Sugar
3/4 cup Water
1 lg 32 oz box Beef Broth
-or (2) 14 oz cans
1 tsp Cracked Black Pepper
1 tsp Fresh Ground Sea Salt
1/4 cup Fine Dry Sherry or
-1 Tbls Cooking Sherry & omit salt
-1 Tbls Congnac
-1/2 c. Red or White Wine
1 tsp. Cornstarch dissolved in water
2 Tbls Bacon Grease (optional)
1 Tbls Fresh Thyme Springs (optional)
2 Bay Leaves (optional)
Chopped Parsley, Garnish (optional)
French Baguette Bread, thick sliced
Swiss or Gruyère Cheese, grated or sliced
*Or serve French Dip Style with a good roast beef & Swiss sandwich on toasted French bread, that's great for dipping in the soup.
*See Healthy Recipe Version below in Additional Comments section.
Directions:
Caramelize the Onions:
Saute onions in butter and olive oil in a large pot. Reduce heat, add garlic cloves and sugar. Sweat for 20+ min until onions have reduced and are translucent.
Deglaze the pan:
Increase the burner to high heat. Add water and Cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly. Scrape off any stuck pieces in the pan. Add the beef broth and the rest of the ingredients. Bring to boil.
Simmer the Soup:
Reduce to low heat and simmer for 15 min. Remove Bay Leaves.
When Ready to Serve:
Top each bowl with a slice of toasted cheese bread and garnish with parsley & a few twists of black pepper, maybe even add a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. See additional comments for other serving options.
Prepare the cheese bread:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for about 7 minutes and flip over. Top with Swiss cheese and bake another 7 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden brown. Place 1-2 pieces on top of each soup bowl and serve immediately.
Traditional Method: Toast the thick sliced bread. Ladle the soup into oven proof bowls or crocks and top each bowl with 1-2 slices toast, depending on size. Top with Swiss cheese. Put the bowls into the 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes (or 1-2 min under the broiler) , until the cheese is melted and golden brown. It's traditional to have a gooey cheesy mess all over the bowl!
Caramelize the Onions:
Saute onions in butter and olive oil in a large pot. Reduce heat, add garlic cloves and sugar. Sweat for 20+ min until onions have reduced and are translucent.
Deglaze the pan:
Increase the burner to high heat. Add water and Cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly. Scrape off any stuck pieces in the pan. Add the beef broth and the rest of the ingredients. Bring to boil.
Simmer the Soup:
Reduce to low heat and simmer for 15 min. Remove Bay Leaves.
When Ready to Serve:
Top each bowl with a slice of toasted cheese bread and garnish with parsley & a few twists of black pepper, maybe even add a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. See additional comments for other serving options.
Prepare the cheese bread:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for about 7 minutes and flip over. Top with Swiss cheese and bake another 7 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden brown. Place 1-2 pieces on top of each soup bowl and serve immediately.
Traditional Method: Toast the thick sliced bread. Ladle the soup into oven proof bowls or crocks and top each bowl with 1-2 slices toast, depending on size. Top with Swiss cheese. Put the bowls into the 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes (or 1-2 min under the broiler) , until the cheese is melted and golden brown. It's traditional to have a gooey cheesy mess all over the bowl!
Special Tips or Information:
Dry Sherry:
Use a good quality Dry Sherry for the best flavor. I think its the secret ingredient myself! Cooking sherry is not great but it will do.
The Deglazing Process:
works best with a stainless steel pan/skillet vs Teflon, as always. Even cast iron works great. IMO, the only purpose of Teflon is for frying an egg!
Caramelize Onions in Crockpot:
For a cheater method, just slice up a bunch of onions, add a little olive oil and let them go in the slow cooker all day. They turn out golden and wonderfully sweet, just like caramelized onions are supposed to be. And as far as the crockpot goes, if you were to use this onion caramelization method, I suppose you could just add the rest of the ingredients and make the entire soup in the crock.
Healthy Recipe Version:
If you want to remove delicious flavorings, you can make this soup for any diet. Omit the butter and bacon grease for a fat free healthy meal. If salt is a concern, omit salt, buy reduced sodium beef broth and do not use cooking sherry. Unsalted butter is an option as well. The soup broth will be pretty bland without some salt.
See Dishes: Soup Bowls & Bean Crocks for examples and prices.
Traditional French Onion Soup Bowl. Stoneware with handle.
Porcelain Soup Crocks with handle & lids.
Small Bean Crocks. Tall barrel shaped with or without lids.
Souffle Ramekins. Usually Ribbed, straight sided walls.
Warnings:
Cooking Sherry alternative has an extreme amount of salt, so use it lightly and do not add additional salt to the recipe. The alternative is to not use it at all, which I lean towards these days. Optionally you can use other wines or liquors you may have on hand.
Additional Comments:
Serve with a fresh baked loaf of french bread. Find in the refrigerated biscuit dough section at the grocery store.
Or simply put a slice of toasted french baguette on top of the serving bowl and top with grated Swiss cheese, although its best to melt the cheese on top of the bread in the oven.
Or top with Homemade Croutons, or Italian Herb Croutons for a different flavor.
Quantity: Serves 4, reg size bowls
Prep Time:
Soup Prep takes about 10 minutes + Serving Options
Cooking Time:
Soup takes about 35 min + Serving Options
Dry Sherry:
Use a good quality Dry Sherry for the best flavor. I think its the secret ingredient myself! Cooking sherry is not great but it will do.
The Deglazing Process:
works best with a stainless steel pan/skillet vs Teflon, as always. Even cast iron works great. IMO, the only purpose of Teflon is for frying an egg!
Caramelize Onions in Crockpot:
For a cheater method, just slice up a bunch of onions, add a little olive oil and let them go in the slow cooker all day. They turn out golden and wonderfully sweet, just like caramelized onions are supposed to be. And as far as the crockpot goes, if you were to use this onion caramelization method, I suppose you could just add the rest of the ingredients and make the entire soup in the crock.
Healthy Recipe Version:
If you want to remove delicious flavorings, you can make this soup for any diet. Omit the butter and bacon grease for a fat free healthy meal. If salt is a concern, omit salt, buy reduced sodium beef broth and do not use cooking sherry. Unsalted butter is an option as well. The soup broth will be pretty bland without some salt.
Baking in the Bowls:
If putting individual soup bowls in the oven, you can place them all inside a baking pan for easy removal and to catch any cheese that might drip down the sides.
Oven Proof Soup Bowls: If putting individual soup bowls in the oven, you can place them all inside a baking pan for easy removal and to catch any cheese that might drip down the sides.
See Dishes: Soup Bowls & Bean Crocks for examples and prices.
Traditional French Onion Soup Bowl. Stoneware with handle.
Porcelain Soup Crocks with handle & lids.
Small Bean Crocks. Tall barrel shaped with or without lids.
Souffle Ramekins. Usually Ribbed, straight sided walls.
Warnings:
Cooking Sherry alternative has an extreme amount of salt, so use it lightly and do not add additional salt to the recipe. The alternative is to not use it at all, which I lean towards these days. Optionally you can use other wines or liquors you may have on hand.
Additional Comments:
Serve with a fresh baked loaf of french bread. Find in the refrigerated biscuit dough section at the grocery store.
Or simply put a slice of toasted french baguette on top of the serving bowl and top with grated Swiss cheese, although its best to melt the cheese on top of the bread in the oven.
Or top with Homemade Croutons, or Italian Herb Croutons for a different flavor.
Quantity: Serves 4, reg size bowls
Prep Time:
Soup Prep takes about 10 minutes + Serving Options
Cooking Time:
Soup takes about 35 min + Serving Options
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