French Onion Soup

Since this recipe calls for 3 pounds of onions, plus a little more at the end, I like to use the giant sweet onions that show up at farmer’s markets in the early Fall. About three of those big ones weigh in at three pounds.

Slicing all those onions can cause a lot of grief, but I have learned a trick that seems to help in avoiding tears. Someone once told me that if the cutting board is first wiped down with vinegar, all will be well. When I asked the person whom I thought gave me this tip, he looked blank, but it seems to help, so I continue to use a little white vinegar rubbed over the cutting surface before I launch into the onions.

It is a little harder to have homemade beef stock on hand than chicken stock. Any time a chicken has been cooked, the remains can be thrown in a pot with some vegetables to cook up broth, but steak and chop meat don’t give a cook anything to work with. The true French way is to roast bones and vegetables for hours, then deglaze, add further ingredients, and cook down. Another possibility is to put marrowbones in a soup pot, along with onion, carrots, celery, parsley, cook and skim.

The simplest way is to use a prepared stock. As always, this requires some careful reading of labels to check out salt and sugar content. A recent survey of a supermarket assortment showed that salt could range from 17 to 40 % of daily requirements.

Traditionally, French Onion Soup comes with toasted bread and shredded Gruyere cheese on top (which requires putting the already heated soup, with its decorations, under the broiler). But there are other possibilities. For instance, sautéing an onion lightly and adding that at the end, plus a little grated parmesan, will give the soup some extra body and flavor without having to worry about getting individual bowls of boiling soup in and out of the oven.

Ingredients

6 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp olive oil

3 lbs. yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced

1 tsp sugar

Salt (depending on broth)

1 Tbsp flour

8 cups beef stock

2 cups dry white wine

Pepper

Baguette

1lb. Gruyere, shredded

Directions

1. Melt 3 Tbsp butter over medium-low heat, add oil and onions and cook covered 30 minutes.
2. Increase heat to medium-high, add sugar and cook uncovered until golden brown.
3. Sprinkle flour, and cook for 3 minutes uncovered.
4. Add 2 cups of stock and stir to blend.
5. Add remaining stock and wine. Adjust salt and pepper and simmer 20 minutes.

For Serving with Gruyere

1. Put oven on broil (low)
2. Slice and butter bread
3. Toast in oven until just golden brown on both sides
4. Add toast and soup to (ovenproof) bowls
5. Spread shredded Gruyere on top
6. Put bowls on a baking sheet and broil until cheese bubbles and begins to brown.