P
All that said, you really don't need special guest for this great soup, I love to spoil myself and my family with it on a quiet Sunday too. The gooey thick cheese top is irresistible as it is supported by homemade croutons floating in a sea of rich broth. What's not to love!
I promise that it's not that hard to make, and your guests will think this soup came from a restaurant. As always, don't be afraid to add your own flavors and flair. These are guidelines, you're the great cook, not me.
Please notice that my beer is sadly absent in this post. You see, I made this soup for a Sunday lunch and it has to cook for four to six hours in a slow cooker. That being said, we all have rules and I don't drink before noon. No worries though, I made up for it!
Ingredients
4- large Vidalia onions
32 oz- Beef stock
3/4 Stick salted butter
1 cup- Red cooking wine
Swiss cheese
Fresh French bread
Brown sugar
Extra virgin olive oil
Garlic
Thyme
Kosher salt
Black pepper
I start by cleaning and chopping the onions. Personally, I like to split the onion in half and chop them into half rings. Next, toss them with a 1/2 stick of butter in a large frying pan. Simmer over medium heat while adding plenty of salt, pepper and a few minced garlic cloves. In this case, I used a bit of garlic powder because I was in a rush. Cook the onions down until they are soft, stirring them often.
Next, add a good handful of brown sugar over the top and continue to simmer for another 30 minutes or so -until the onions are carmelized. This is important, you want to brown the onions but don't burn them into stringy, crispy, crud. How can you brown and not burn? During this step simply stir (occasionally) scrapping the bottom, but be careful to move the onions as they get carmelized. Taste for salt and pepper here as the flavors are really starting to develop.
Now that our onions are sweet and carmelized we will add a good cup of wine. I like to use red cooking wine with beef broth, but many people use different or more expensive wines. If you like to cook and watch cooking shows, I'm sure you have heard chiefs say, "you can't expect good flavor with a cheap wine." Well I guess my taste buds are just not that developed yet. In support of cooking wines, I made shrimp bisque soup with cooking sherry for an English chief that was trained in a French cooking school, and he loved my soup! He even commented, "It's French!" That was a great moment in my culinary life. Though I say that today, it would not surprise me if my attitude on this subject changed in the future. I often change my opinions as life offers more experience.
Back to the soup we're making. Simmer the onions in wine until the wine is reduced by about 50 percent. The wine reduction adds a sophistication to your soup that people will love. Taste your creation often for the most basic of seasoning, salt and pepper. You can't take it out if you over season, but it won't taste the same if you add it too late. And God forbid if they need to add it at their plate!
The next step is to empty our frypan into a medium size slowcooker. I didn't bother with a picture of this as it simply looked like a pot of dark brown nothing, and would detract from the blog. By the way, when you empty the pan, don't miss and sweet pan scrappings as they are packed with flavor.
Most of the hard lifting is done now, sprinkle in a heaping teaspoon of thyme, then stir it in. Add a quart of beef broth, stir it quick and cover. Finally, cook the soup for about 5-6 hours on low.
About an hour before you want to serve, we start the beer and croutons. Well you didn't expect me to forget the croutons, and you know I wouldn't forget the beer!
I like to use fresh French bread cut into 3/4 inch cubes, and I season with kosher salt, pepper, garlic powder, dry basil, parsley and oregano. Use a big frypan so your bread cubes don't overlap. Over medium high heat melt about 1/3 a stick of butter with a splash of extra virgin olive oil. Make sure the oil-butter mix is hot before you add the seasoned bread cubes or you'll have made stuffing. I seasoned the croutons in the frypan but it's better to toss them first, again I was in a hurry this day.
Now let's put it all together.
In an oven approved and sturdy bowl, fill it half way with soup. Add enough croutons to cover the surface of the soup. After the croutons are in, cover them with two slices of Swiss cheese. Yes, you may substitute other cheeses, guidelines that's what I offer you. If you're looking to impress at a dinner party, use a bit smaller bowl and make sure that the cheese is melted over the edges of the bowl as it looks nicer when you serve it.
Put this under the broiler until the cheese is melted, even browned a bit looks nice. Sit down when you eat this soup as you'll be "weak at the knees."
