Bonjour! I still remember the first time I had traditional French onion soup. Sitting in a brasserie, ordering a bowl to share with my friend...unknowing that we would eventually order individual servings instead. It arrived, bubbling and hot, like liquid gold. The aroma is something I can't get out of my mind. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. When I had a spoon of that savoury broth, that luscious bread, that molten cheese; I knew that this is a dish not be shared. And that bite was perfect. It was so good, I wanted that moment to last forever.
So today I want to recreate the moment. I know my soup wont be exactly the same. We don't get the same ingredients here in India. But I'm gonna try replicating this dish with local ingredients, without losing the integrity of this dish. I also bought a potful of concentrated beef stock from my trip to Paris and I think its going to be the perfect ingredient for my onion soup. What is a French onion soup without onions, and the onions you use make all the difference. I found this article which tells you the difference between each onion and what to expect out of it. Today I'm predominantly using red onions with a handful of white onions to cut out the sweetness.
The most crucial and time consuming past of this dish is to caramelize the onions. It means the onions need to slowly cook and wilt in butter over a low heat with constant stirring thrown in for good measure. It is what gives this dish its colour. However I have read somewhere that you can also do the bulk of the cooking in the oven. I'm however going to go the traditional way...just because. You should be looking at a colour similar to mine below.
The next important part of any soup is the stock. I've used beef as I got a potful of amazing beef stock from France. And the bottle says, it is intended for French onion soup....how perfect is that! But you can use chicken stock, or vegetable stock if you are a veggie.
Adapted from willcookforfriends.com
Makes a potful (serves approx.8)
10 large onions, sliced
5tbsp butter
8cups stock
1/4 cup dry white wine
1tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
1tbsp thyme
salt & pepper to taste
In a large heavy bottomed pan, add the butter and onions. The onions will take a minimum of 30-40mins to be done on high heat. Be patient. The onions will first soften, then wilt, before starting to change colour. By then it will be half the original volume. You will need to give the onions your full attention so that it doesn't burn, while stirring frequently. Feel free to scrape the sides as well. Once the onions start sticking to the bottom and really go a deep brown colour, you can start ladling in the stock. I actually ladled in the initial spoons, and waited for the onions to absorb the flavour and evaporate the water, before adding in another spoonful.
Now reduce the heat and add in the stock. Add in the rest of the ingredients and let the soup simmer for about 30mins. Pull out the bay leaf.
To serve: Toast bread to really crunchy or fry till golden and crispy. Ladle soup into an oven proof bowl. Top with slices of toasted bread and generous amounts of cheese. Grill till the cheese has melted. Serve piping hot and fresh out of the oven. Et Viola!
Note: Traditional soup calls for crusty baguette and gruyere. The economical person I am used regular sliced bread and regular cheese. You may look like you are deviating from tradition, but its cheap and equally tasty.
Tip: You can substitute bread with fried potato slices as well.
