My Boyfriend Dated A Chef

I love a good french onion soup, don’t you? Cheese, simmered onions, beef broth and baked croutons is just sheer heaven in a bowl. Be patient while slow cooking the onions and you won’t be disappointed!

Serves 6-8. Recipe adapted from Fine Cooking.

INGREDIENTS :
1/4 cup unsalted butter
4 medium-large yellow onions, thinly sliced (8 cups)
freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. granulated sugar
1 small baguette (1/2 lb.), cut into 1/2-inch slices
4 quarts (8 cups) beef broth
1 bay leaf
2 cups grated Gruyère

PREPARATION:
Melt unsalted butter in a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Stir in onions and season with a dash of ground pepper. Reduce heat to low. Press a piece of tinfoil over the onions to cover them completely. Cover the pot with a lid, and simmer until the onions are very soft but not falling apart, 40 to 50 minutes. Remove the lid and foil, raise the heat to medium high, and stir in the sugar. Cook, stirring often, until very deeply browned, 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make the croûtes (baguette toasts), position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350°F. Butter a rimmed baking sheet and arrange the baguette slices on the sheet in a single layer. Bake until the bread is crisp and lightly browned, turning once, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside.

Add the beef broth and bay leaf to the caramelized onions and bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes to blend the flavors. Discard the bay leaf.

To serve, position a rack 6 inches from the broiler and heat the broiler to high. Put 6 to 8 broilerproof soup bowls or crocks on a baking sheet. Put 3 or 4 croûtes in each bowl and ladle the hot soup on top. Sprinkle  with the cheese and broil until the top is browned and bubbly, 2 - 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

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PRESENTATION SUGGESTIONS:
French onion soup definitely needs great presentation. I used the bowls in my cabinet but will be serving them in one of the following in the future:

white serving soup bowls from Sur La Table via The Green Head

Le Creuset® french onion soup bowls from Bed Bath & Beyond

OR classic crocks from Amazon.com