This guy makes an incredible French Onion Soup. With patience and skill, he turned a whole mess of onions into a rich, satisfying treat. For the podcast, Michael made a lot of soup- approximately 16-18 servings- 6 of those were eaten by our families that evening, some of it was reheated the following day for lunch, and some was thrown into the freezer (without the bread and cheese). If you prefer to make a smaller amount, follow the amounts in the recipe below. To make the amount that Michael made, just double what you see here.
Ingredients
For approximately 8-10 servings
2.5 pounds Bermuda onions
2.5 pounds white cooking onions
3 cloves garlic
1/2 mild chilli pepper
1/2 pound of unsalted butter
1/4 bunch fresh thyme
3 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
3-4 litres beef broth
1 baguette (cut into 1/2 inch slices) you will probably use 2 slices to top each of the soup crocks, so cut it depending on how many you are serving- it never hurts to have more, though!
Melted butter or olive oil to drizzle onto sliced bread
Sherry vinegar, to taste (balances acidity)
Brandy (approximately 1 cup)
White wine (approximately 1/2 cup)
Gruyere, shredded (a fistful per bowl)
Parmesan, grated (a couple of pinches per bowl)
Michael recommends topping the soups with 80% Gruyere, 20% Parmesan
Kitchen string for bouquet garni
Soup crocks
Wide-bottomed pot
Method
1. Start by peeling and chopping the onions. Chop each onion in half and then cut into 1/4 – 1/2 inch half-rounds.
2. Slowly melt butter in uncovered, wide-bottomed pot at just under medium heat. Add onions and a couple of pinches of salt. Stir frequently until onions are very soft and deep golden brown, about 35-40 minutes.
3. As the onions cook, chop garlic and chilli pepper into a fine mash. Reserve.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Slice baguette into 1/2 inch pieces and arrange in 1 layer on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with melted butter or olive oil. Put into oven with rack in middle position and bake until completely dry, about 20 minutes (at 10 minutes, check every couple of minutes to make sure the bread doesn’t burn). Remove from oven.
5. Put beef stock in a pot and warm on the stove.
6. Make bouquet garni by tying whole springs of thyme and bay leaves with kitchen string. Reserve.
7. Add garlic and chilli to onions and stir. Cook until garlic is no longer raw (approximately 4 minutes). Add a pinch or two of salt.
8. Slowly add brandy to onions, add bouquet garni, stir and scrape the bottom of the pan for any brown bits. Cook for a few more minutes until the brandy has been absorbed into onions.
9. Taste! Add some salt if you need it!
10. Add white wine to increase acidity. Allow the wine to cook for a few minutes more. Add pepper.
11. Add beef broth (again, add it in stages until you’ve achieved the onion/liquid ratio you like. For Michael, each spoonful should have a high concentration of onions).
12. Taste again to check for seasoning. Add a splash or two of sherry vinegar. Adjust salt and pepper to your liking.
13. Cook for another 5 minutes, then discard bouquet garni from soup. Turn on broiler to low, place crocks on baking pan covered in tin foil and divide soup among crocks. Float two pieces of the crispy bread in each. Grate gruyere with a large-holed grater so that it’s in shreds and put a big fistful on top of the bread, then sprinkle with Parmesan. Put pan in oven with rack in the middle until the cheese is brown and bubbling, approximately 5 minutes.