Viva L' French Onion Soup Recipe at Heart and Home

Hey there - welcome back for a Foodie Friday!
Well the weather outside is frightful...but I live in California, so it can't be all that bad! Compared to what the rest of the country is going through at this time of the year I really can't complain. Still, it is wintertime and it does get chilly here, especially in the evenings on the Redwood Coast! One of my favorite meals to prepare on a crispy, cold winter's night is French Onion Soup. It's quick and easy, tastes delicious, and warms you right up. Perfect!

French Onion Soup

Ingredients: (these are approximate - making this soup is not an exact science!)

5-6 yellow onions

1/4 cup unsalted butter (or more!)

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

chopped garlic if desired

6 cups beef broth

1 tablespoon sugar

crushed thyme to taste

salt and pepper to taste

sherry to taste (optional)

1 1/2 - 2 cups grated gruyere or Swiss cheese

4 - 6 slices good chewy, french, pugliese or similar type bread

Follow these simple directions for a yummy pot of soup that feeds 4 - 6 people.

Thinly slice onions

Over medium heat melt butter with olive oil in a large stock pot or dutch oven.

Add onions, stir, and cook them down until they are nice and soft. It takes a while, they will cook down a lot in your pot. Stir occasionally to keep onions from sticking. Add the garlic and stir until soft. Eventually everything will start to brown. (At this point your entire house will smell like onions!)

 Add the sugar, stir some more and cook down a bit more,

until they are almost caramelized.

In the meantime, grate the cheese, and slice the bread.

Have a little taste of cheese and a bite of that yummy bread while you are waiting...

When you are satisfied with the color of the onions, add the broth, a splash or two (or three, or more!) of sherry if you are using it, and the salt and pepper to taste.

Let simmer, partially covered,  for 1/2 hour or more.

The aroma will drive you crazy.

If the broth cooks down too much add a little water. Turn on the broiler to high.

Transfer soup to individual ramekins or oven proof soup bowls.

Put one piece of sliced bread in each bowl on top of soup, cover with grated cheese.

Place all bowls together on a tray or cookie sheet and place on middle rack of oven under the broiler for a few minutes. This only takes a short amount of time - 2 -5 minutes depending on your broiler, check and remove the tray when the cheese has melted and begins to bubble.

Carefully remove from oven. It will be very hot! Serve with a nice, crispy, mixed baby greens salad.

I believe this is one of the best soups ever created!

Rich, smooth, a little sweet and chewy and crunchy all at once.

It stays hot a long time and will warm up your tummy and your bones.

Bon appetite!

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See you next time my friends! Thanks for stopping by! Go see more recipes at Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday! Thanks Michael Lee!

Until next time

XO

Heidi