A drunken Bistro French Onion Soup with thyme, wine and a final touch of Brandy, then gratinated with a piece of toasted bread and exquisite Gruyere cheese until golden perfection.
There is nothing like a fuming hot onion soup! Bistro French Onion Soup contains all the best from France: red wine, bread, and cheese. This gratinated soup, which means it needs to finish up in the oven, will warm you up guaranteed on a cold winter night. This version is made with olive oil instead of butter, red wine instead of white wine, and a touch of thyme, garlic, and Brandy to give it a more fragrant touch.
This soup dates from the 15th century; although many variations exist, the French gratinated one is the best known worldwide. It used to be a soup for the less fortunate; today, it’s for all! Some versions don’t contain cheese at all, but in my opinion, the top part is what makes it so exquisite!
The Cheese Choice
If you want to taste the essence of France, I suggest topping the soup with a cheese like Comté or Gruyere. These cheeses are what a perfect gratin tastes like, and they’re neither salty nor stingy. In third place, I would say an Emmental.
A Long Cooking Preparation
The cooking of this soup takes time to soften the onions to perfection! Plus, you might be shocked by the amount of onions used, but do not worry, they’ll lose all their water and shrink drastically. Prepare some goggles so you don’t cry too much, although they say if your knife is well-sharpened, you shouldn’t feel a tear while cutting the onions. Let’s see…
Tasty Broth for a Tasty Soup
In most “stock” meals, I believe the stock to be the critical factor to a successful soup or sauce, so make your own! I leave my beef stock recipe down here in case you want it. It goes a long way, but of course, it’s optional. I love to make my own condensed broth or stock and freeze some in silicone ice cube trays. This way, you can always enhance any meal with a touch of it! For example, make a quick sauce for meat, pasta, rice, etc. A cube or two with a touch of butter, and you are in business.
FAQ
Can I use other types of onions to make it?
Yes! Although the original recipe called for yellow onions, you can also use white or red ones.
Can I freeze my Bistro French Onion Soup?
Yes, although leave the toppings. It will last 3 months in your freezer.
Other Soup Ideas
- Asian Bone Soup
- Butternut Squash Soup with Cream Cheese – Little Nomads Recipes
- Shiitake Mushroom Creamy Soup
Bistro French Onion Soup
Ingredients
- 1½ l Beef Stock (or Veal or Chicken Broth)
- 250 ml red Wine (or White Wine)
- 5 yellow onions (Big Ones)
- 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
- 2 tbsp flour (or unsweeten dark chocolate)
- 50 g butter
- 30 ml Brandy (optional)
- 2 tsp thyme (or two branches of fresh thyme)
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and pepper
Topping
- 4 slices of dry or toasted bread (thick)
- 150 g Gruyere or Comté Cheese (or Emmental)
Instructions
- In a big pot, add the butter and thinly sliced onions with some salt and cook at low heat for about 45 minutes, until the onion becomes soft and without liquid.
- Add finely chopped garlic.
- When the onions are ready, add the flour, mix it up for one minute (can add a bit of oil or butter if too dry).
- Add the beef stock, wine, spices and let simmer another 30 minutes.
- Preheat the top element of the oven to the maximum.
- When the soup is ready, add the sip of Brandy and stir it for the last time.
- Transfer the soup into oven-proof bowls, and add the dry or toasted pieces of bread on top, plus the Gruyere cheese.
- Grill in the oven until the cheese is melted, which should be 5 minutes max.
- Let it cool a bit before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Pin it!
2 Comments
Pingback: Onion Soup – beautifulyou583
Pingback: Onion Soup Pasta in a Mug – The FoodOlic recipes