FRENCH ONION SOUP
French Onion Soup
Serves 6
Ingredients
⅓ c Extra Virgin Olive Oil plus 1 Tbsp
1 Tbsp Butter
2 lg Yellow Onions, thinly sliced
2 lg Red Onions, thinly sliced
1 Tsp Sugar
3 Leeks, thinly sliced
2 Bay Leaves
½ c White Wine
2 Sprigs of Thyme
1 Tsp Worcestershire Sauce
8 c Beef Broth (2 quarts)
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Tsp Coarse Kosher Salt
½ Tsp Black Pepper
3 c Gruyere Cheese, sheadded (5 oz is equivalent to 2 cups when you shred it)
12 slices of french or sourdough bread toasted (see crostini recipe)
Directions
In a six quart pot over medium heat melt the butter and warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Add the yellow, red onions and sugar and saute for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the leeks and cook for another 30 minutes or until caramelized, stirring occasionally. You may need to turn up the heat for the last 5 minutes to further the caramelization.
Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds, add wine and scrape up all the brown bits on the bottom of the pan.
Add the beef broth, thyme sprigs, bay leaves, salt and pepper, bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer with the pan partially covered for 25 minutes. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
While the soup is simmering, turn the oven to 350°F and arrange the slices of bread on a sheet pan and spread both sides with the olive oil. Cook bread for about 20 minutes until golden color and set aside.
You can also substitute the bread for homemade croutons or use store bought. See the recipe for homemade croutons. They are easy to whip together and can be made days ahead of time.
Preheat the oven to broil. Ladle the soup into the individual crocks about ⅔ full and place 2 slices of the toasted bread on top of the soup and add ½ cup of shredded cheese.
This is a great make ahead meal to heat up later or you can freeze it and take it out for a quick meal during the week and serve with a salad.
For a low carb version, omit the bread and sprinkle the cheese on top of the hot soup and serve.
