Monday, October 24, 2011

French Onion Soup – Take 2

Posted by Tina / 31 comments » / *Recipes, Appetizers, Main Courses, Sides, Soups

Remember the last time I made French Onion Soup? haha I laugh when I look back at that post from less that a year ago. I had no clue about white balance or natural lighting in my photography… I sucked at writing intros for my recipes… I received ZERO comments because I had about 2 people reading my posts (if I was lucky)… So, why did I not just delete that post all together? Well, it’s fun to see where I started and how far I’ve come with this little ol’ blog!  And it goes to show what a difference a year can make! If you are new to blogging, be encouraged and keep on learning and striving for the best! It only gets better! 🙂

Okay, so on to this recipe! When I made the aforementioned “light version” of French Onion soup, it was good… but after having THIS version, there is absolutely NO comparison. This soup is IN.CRED.IBLE. There’s just nothing quite like the real deal! And let’s face it, when it comes to French Onion Soup, it’s meant to be decadent and delicious!

If I could give you one bit of advice, make sure you don’t skimp out on the wine. I know people tend to use cheap wine for cooking… which is fine, as long as it’s an excellent tasting wine.

Cooking Rule #1: Never EVER cook with a wine that you wouldn’t drink in a glass.

Got it? Okay, let’s move on. This soup really is DIVINE. You. will. love. it. You know what the best part is? You can make the soup ahead of time (as well as toast the baguettes) and just keep it on a low simmer until your guests arrive. Then you can ladle up, top with cheese, broil real quick and serve! Voila! I love the prep-ahead method, that way you can actually enjoy your guests when they arrive!

Enjoy, friends! There’s nothing like a big ol’ bowl of incredible soup to warm up your day!

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French Onion Soup

Yield: 6-8 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 1- 1 1/2 hours

You can make this soup ahead and keep warm until ready to serve.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
5 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
1-2 teaspoons salt, divided
freshly cracked black pepper
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 fresh thyme sprigs
1 1/2 cups full bodied red wine (I used a Cabernet), about 1/2 bottle
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 quarts (64 fl ounces) beef broth
1 french baguette, sliced into 1"- 1 1/2" slices and then toasted until crisp
6-8 tablespoons shaved parmesan cheese
12-16 slices provolone cheese

Directions:

In a large stockpot or dutch oven, melt the stick of butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions, 1 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Saute for 5-7 minutes, until onions have begun to sweat. Add garlic, thyme, and bay leaves and cook down for 25-30 minutes until onions are extremely soft and caramelized (stirring frequently).

Add the wine, being sure to scrape the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and then simmer until the wine has evaporated, about 8-15 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and thyme springs. Dust the onions with the flour and cook over medium-low for 5-7 minutes to get rid of the raw flour taste. Add the beef broth, bring to a simmer for 10 minutes (or until ready to serve).

When ready to serve soup, ladle about 1-1 1/2 cups of soup into and oven safe bowl or soup crock, top with a toasted baguette slice, 1 tablespoon of parmesan cheese, and lastly, 2 slices of provolone cheese. Repeat with remaining bowls of soup. Place all of the prepared soup bowls onto a baking sheet and place in the oven. Broil for 2-5 minutes until the cheese is browned and bubbly (keep a close eye on them). Serve hot.

Adapted from: Tyler Florence

 

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31 Responses to “French Onion Soup – Take 2”

  1. 1

    Jessica @ How Sweet — October 24, 2011 @ 8:13 am

    these photos are gorgeous! makes me want a big bowl for breakfast.

    • Kristina replied: — October 24th, 2011 @ 9:02 am

      yah, it WAS my breakfast yesterday haha – had to take advantage of the morning light… or so i told myself 😉 hah

  2. 2

    Mike — October 24, 2011 @ 8:51 am

    I did have some for breakfast yesterday; it’s like velvet in a bowl. I’m so proud of your hard work, love! I love your delicious food and I love you even more!

  3. 3

    Mom — October 24, 2011 @ 9:37 am

    This was a special treat..the MOST amazing french onion soup I have ever had, seriously! Delicious! Thanks for such a great dinner…we all enjoyed it! I am going to make this soup soon! French onion is my favorite to begin with, and this was over the TOP!

    • Kristina replied: — October 24th, 2011 @ 10:02 am

      look at you going all domestic 😉 you should make Auntie dinner – she would LOVE this 🙂

  4. 4

    Sandy — October 24, 2011 @ 9:43 am

    Yum! Looks delicious and this is the perfect recipe for a cold rainy day like today!

  5. 5

    Maria — October 24, 2011 @ 9:45 am

    I’ve never made french onion soup, what am I waiting for? Looks delicious!

    • Kristina replied: — October 24th, 2011 @ 10:01 am

      Don’t wait any longer!!!! it’s SO good!!! 🙂 PS- just saw your Twix Caramel Popcorn… umm drooling – TWIX is my favorite candy bar- hands down!

  6. 6

    Jessica @ Stylish Stealthy and Healthy — October 24, 2011 @ 9:59 am

    You read my mind. I have a ton of onions I need to use ASAP and I was thinking French Onion Soup but didn’t have a good recipe.
    It’s like the soup fairy visited me today. Wonderful. 🙂

    • Kristina replied: — October 24th, 2011 @ 10:01 am

      haha Just call me the soup fairy 😉 You’ll LOVE it.

  7. 7

    Nancy — October 24, 2011 @ 10:24 am

    Well Tinita, I’ve never made onion soup either but WOW this one looks delicious. Thanks for the inspiration, cannot wait to try it!!

  8. 8

    natalie (the sweets life) — October 24, 2011 @ 10:40 am

    I only recently discovered the joys of french onion soup and now I can’t get enough of it! This version looks deliriously good!

  9. 9

    Bev Weidner — October 24, 2011 @ 11:58 am

    Come to mommy.

  10. 10

    Dad — October 24, 2011 @ 1:38 pm

    I love French Onoin Soup too. It looks great and sounds delicious. I’ll have to try this recipe.

    Love ya,

    Dad

    • Kristina replied: — October 26th, 2011 @ 10:40 am

      try this one… you’ll LOVE it.

  11. 11

    Krissy@DaintyChef — October 24, 2011 @ 4:29 pm

    I have never made French Onion Soup, you have just convinced me that I need to! And my post today was a soup that needed to be shared again, and my old photos were terrible too.

    • Krissy@DaintyChef replied: — October 24th, 2011 @ 4:30 pm

      I didn’t mean terrible, just that I had no clue what the heck I was doing, that came off as mean!

    • Kristina replied: — October 24th, 2011 @ 4:47 pm

      oh girl… NO offense taken – i’m the first to admit my old pic are ROUGH 😉

  12. 12

    Cassie @ Bake Your Day — October 25, 2011 @ 4:43 pm

    This is beautiful soup, Tina. French Onion is my favorite…I’ll be craving it now!

    • Kristina replied: — October 26th, 2011 @ 10:40 am

      thanks Cassie!

  13. 13

    carly {carlyklock} — October 27, 2011 @ 12:58 pm

    GIRRRL. This stuff is so stinkin’ good it should be illegal.

    Seriously – I sneak bites of leftovers from the fridge every hour, on the hour, whenever I make it.

  14. 14

    Susan — October 28, 2011 @ 2:30 pm

    When cooking the onions down for 25-30 minutes, do you really leave the heat on medium high? Seems like they would burn rather than caramelize at that heat. Looking forward to trying this, but want to make sure I don’t destroy the onions in the process.

    Thanks!

    • Kristina replied: — October 28th, 2011 @ 2:42 pm

      I left mine on medium-high heat and was sure to stir them often… there is a lot of moisture in the onions (the salt draws it out), so the medium-high heat is necessary to get good caramelization. Hope that helps! 🙂

  15. 15

    November Inspiration « — November 1, 2011 @ 7:36 am

    […] inspiration: I have been craving French Onion Soup for days, and when My Life as a Mrs. posted her recipe, it automatically jumped to the top of my “must try making this” […]

  16. 16

    Anne S — November 1, 2011 @ 10:22 am

    I made your french onion soup yesterday, and OMG, it was amazing. Better than Panera’s or any my husband and I have ever eaten. Problem was, we each had about 3 bowls, and our “bodies” were not happy with us last night!! It was so worth it, though, and we will do it all over again! I love your site and your recipes are always great! Thank you so much.

    • Kristina replied: — November 7th, 2011 @ 4:52 pm

      haha We did the same thing 😉 Glad you enjoyed!!

  17. 17

    ginny — November 5, 2011 @ 8:55 pm

    I made this today…it was good, but not amazing. I couldn’t get my dang onions to caramelize (after 45 min), but they were good anyways. I would cut down on the red wine next time..kind of overpowering. Other than that, it was a good first try for me! Thanks for the recipe!

    • Kristina replied: — November 7th, 2011 @ 4:51 pm

      Did you have it on medium-high heat? Also, what type of pan did you use?

  18. 18

    Ginny — November 19, 2011 @ 11:38 pm

    holy deliciousness, batman! this soup (and full disclosure, I really was making this for the hubs since I’m not crazy about broth-based soups) was out-of-this-world scrumptious! kudos, big time. will totally be reblogging your recipe at some point. 😉

    • Kristina replied: — November 21st, 2011 @ 1:41 pm

      SO glad you enjoyed!!! 🙂

  19. 19

    Stacie Lauren Taylor — December 12, 2011 @ 10:51 pm

    Looks so delicious. I cant wait to try it out. I also love what you had to say about getting better at blogging. What’s the secret to blogging here and getting reader?? Thanks for your insight.

    Best~
    Lauren Taylor

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