French Onion Soup

Winter weather means soup. So usually lunch is a parade of easy ones. Nevertheless, a treat for whoever's home! That is an euphemism for my other half!! We do love a bowl of steaming soup. Today's lunch special is French Onion Soup. 

My niece cleans out her kitchen before leaving the country and gives me a bunch of onions. Growing up we had this soup often.  This time I am going to make the traditional version. Onions, butter, flour, broth and some sherry. Pantry staples in everybody's kitchen. I hope! Butter makes the soup better. You could use olive oil, but then you wouldn't get crisp, brown edged onion slice. I cut thick slices so we can bite into onion. I do not want thin slices that would melt into a pot of simmering broth! Homemade chicken stock works best. I usually have some in the fridge. Boxed stock is a lifesaver. Use it. This week I have leftover turkey stock... One bird, another name, the stock is the same! Don't forget the gruyere toasts! Can't make FOS without crunchy croutons that soak up the broth and melt into the soup.

FRENCH ONION SOUP

Serves 2
EF

2 medium-sized Onions

3 tablespoons Butter

1 tablespoon Flour

3 cups Chicken Stock

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

1/4 teaspoon ground Black Pepper

2 tablespoons Sherry

2 slices regular sliced Bread or 4 slices of French Bread

1/2 cup grated Gruyere

Peel and cut onion in half. Cut 1/2 inch thick slices crosswise.

Melt butter in a deep sided pan.

Scatter onion slices in butter and let them cook till they are golden brown. Stir onions from time to time.

When the onions are deep golden brown, sprinkle flour over onions, stir well and let the flour cook for 15-20 seconds. You could lower the flame at this point. You do not want the flour to burn.

Add stock to onions and let it come to brisk boil. 

Season with salt and pepper.

Let stock bubble for 10 minutes. 

Add sherry and let soup simmer while you make the croutons.

Heat the broiler to high.

Divide gruyere between the two slices of bread. Mound cheese on bread and press down to adhere.

Broil for a 20-30 seconds till cheese has melted.

Set the croutons in soup bowls. 

Ladle hot soup over croutons. Enjoy!

Roshni's onions are put to good use. Fortunately she chose not to take her onions to India where she currently is! Last year the price of onions soared sky high in Bombay. My ma-in-law was constantly telling me about the exhorbitant price of onions. So I packed a few bags of onions as a gift for her! Got many laughs out of that gift!!! Onions really are one of the holy trinity of Indian cooking..onions..ginger..garlic...no onion, no gravy. No curry here. Just a rich brown oniony broth, chockful of thick slices, accompanied by gooey gruyere. A heavenly lunch!

Pin It