French Onion Soup

I found three recipes online and used some of the ingredients from each to come up with my own version of French onion soup and it was amazing! Next time I'll try Gruyere and/or Fontina cheeses.

FRENCH ONION SOUP

• 2 sticks Kerrygold butter

• 12 yellow onions

• 4 red onions

• 4 teaspoons salt

• 4 teaspoons sugar

• 4 boxes of beef broth

• ¼ cup dry sherry (can use red wine instead)

• 4 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• 4 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

• 1 teaspoon dried parsley

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

• 4 bay leaves (remove after cooking)

• Fresh ground pepper (to taste)

• Paprika (on top after all the cheese has been added)

Cheeses

• American (1 slice per bowl)

• Swiss (3 slices per bowl)

• Provolone (1 slice per bowl)

• Fresh Parmesan (crumbles on the bottom before you ladle the soup on and a little more on top)

  
  

French Bread

1 Loaf French Bread (or Italian bread)

Slice thick and brush both sides with EVOO and add a little sea salt & fresh ground pepper. Let sit out for a while before baking to let some of the moisture out.

Bake under the broiler for a minute or two on each side.

Note: You can use any combination of the above cheeses; it’s really just a matter of preference.

You can substitute Swiss for Gruyère, and Mozzarella for Asiago.

I used American, Swiss, Provolone and Fresh Parmesan.

Alternative cheeses:

• Fontina

• Gruyère

• Mozzarella

• Asiago

Directions

1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in red onions, sweet onions, and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are caramelized and almost syrupy, about 35-40 minutes.

   
   

2. Stir in remainder of ingredients. Reduce heat to low and season with fresh ground pepper. Cover soup and keep warm over low heat while you prepare the toast.

3. Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler. Arrange bread slices on a baking sheet and broil, turning once, until well toasted on both sides, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; do not turn off the broiler.

4. Arrange 4 large oven-safe bowls or crocks on a rimmed baking sheet. Fill each bowl 2/3 full of hot soup. Top each bowl with 1 slice of toasted bread, 2 slices Swiss cheese, 1 slice Provolone, 1 slice American and top with some fresh Parmesan. Sprinkle a little bit of paprika over the top of each one.

5. Cook under the hot broiler until bubbly and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Cheese will cascade over the sides of the crock and form a beautifully melted crusty seal as it melts.

6. Serve hot and enjoy!