French Onion Soup

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 tbsp butter
• 5 medium onions, can be all yellow or mix of yellow/sweet/red, thinly sliced
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 cups low sodium beef broth
• ½ cup dry red wine or red cooking wine
• 4-5 sprigs thyme (optional)
• Freshly cracked pepper (optional)
• 4 slices of baguette
• Truffle oil
• ½ cup Gruyere, shredded

Method

• Heat butter in large pot. Add onions and bay leaves. Cover and cook over moderately high heat, stirring once in a while. Cook until onions are very soft, about 15 minutes. Uncover and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally until onions are browned, about 1-1/2 hours. Add a little water if onions dry out.
• Add wine, stirring constantly, until it is nearly evaporated, about 2 minutes.
• Add broth and thyme (if using) until reduced, about 35 minutes.
• Discard thyme and bay leaves.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 350°. Brush truffle oil on baguette slices and bake until golden.
• Preheat broiler. Place soup in heat-proof bowls, float baguette slice in each bowl and split cheese among bowls. Broil about 4 inches from heat source until cheese has melted, about 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

Notes:

• You can also use regular olive oil on the baguette slices and then use a truffled cheese.
• For a sweeter soup, substitute sherry for red wine.
• Top baguette and cheese with a sprig of thyme for a nice presentation.
• The thinner the baguette slice, the easier it is to break apart in the soup.

SD! Test Kitchen/December 2020