Thursday, January 7, 2010

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!

~~Now for some important information:  in case you haven't notice I've made it easier for you to follow each and every Heart and Home post. Simply sign up for email notification - you'll always be in the loop and won't miss a single fascinating picture or word! Just fill in the form - it's right there under my button at the top of the side bar (go ahead and grab one of those while you're at it!), or scroll down to the bottom - there's a form there, too. It's what all the IN bloggers are doing!~~

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

French Onion Soup on Foodista

10 comments:

Blondie's Journal said...

Heidi~~~

This looks like a wonderful recipe and there are so many. I am going to give this one a try!! I like to add a few dashes of soy sauce to mine for a little meaty, salty flavor. Thanks so much! Stay warm! :-)

xoxo
Janie

vignette design said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog! I love French Onion soup and can't wait to try your recipe. I'm going to stay awhile and catch up on all your posts. --Delores

Anita@Theycallmejammi said...

This looks delicious and easy. I'll have to give this one a try. Thanks for sharing.

Thibeault's Table said...

Your soup looks delicious.

Rattlebridge Farm said...

I have all the ingredients to make this tomorrow (except for the bread). It looks like a cozy dish for these cold days. We'll enjoy it!

Mary Bergfeld said...

Heidi, this is so perfect for the damp, chilly weather we are having in the PNW. Your soup looks and sounds delicious.

Kathy @ Sweet Up-North Mornings... said...

Hi Heidi! I was out visiting in Bloggerland and found this great bowl of onion soup...thought I'd stop and taste a bit...Wonderful! Enjoyed my visit to your sweet blog here...we have lots in common...I'll be back often, stop over anytime
Love to have you,
xoxo~Kathy @ Sweet Up-North Mornings...

Sonia said...

I'm going to try this tonight! Looks so good especially since we are freezing here...nice a warm recipe too! Hope you are having a great New Year! Sonia/Miss Bloomers

Rue said...

I haven't had this in years! Thank you so much for the recipe Heidi :)

rue

Anne Lorys said...

Hi Heidi!
Thanks so much for paying a visit to my blog, and for your sweet comments! So nice to meet you!

I've done a bit of reading on your blog tonight, and I think my favorite post thus far is the super sweet story about Mr. and Mrs. Chin. They are adorable, such sweet faces!

Looking forward to getting to know you better. :-)

Have a great week ahead,
Anne