French Onion Soup Made Easy

Straightforward recipe for making a french onion soup.

Approximately 5-6ish bowls of soup.

Supplies

8 cups beef broth

-2 bay leaves

-3 cloves of garlic halved

-1tsp dried thyme powder

-1tsp worcestershire sauce or soy sauce

-pepper to taste (or 1tsp peppercorn)

-salt to taste

-opt cheese rind

-opt chopped up carrot

-opt leftover beef bones

3 tbsp butter

8 cups sliced yellow onion

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

1/2 cup red wine (or 1/2 cup dry white OR add in a tbsp sherry w/ the wine)

Baguette (1/2 inch thick slices)

Olive oil as needed

Cheese (gruyere, mozarella, asiago, swiss, gouda, provolone, etc)

Step 1: Beef Broth

I apologize for the lack of a picture as I forgot. Throw all the ingredients in a pot and simmer for a few hours or until flavourful (I simmered my broth for around 4 hours the night before).

Step 2: Chop Up the Onions

When the broth is done (or nearly done), start on the onions. Get a heavy-bottomed pot, melt the butter on low heat, and throw in the onions (it'll look like quite a bit but it reduces greatly).

Step 3: Caramelizing the Onions (40-70min)

-On low/med heat, start sautéing your onions while stirring every 5 minutes. When they start to caramelize, stir every few minutes as to make sure they don't stick to the bottom too much (they will be a brown caramel colour when they are done- unlike mine as I got impatient).

Step 4: Making the Soup

-After the onions are done caramelizing to a deep brown/caramel colour, mix in the flour and cook for a couple minutes.

-Deglaze the bottom with your alcohol and stir well, making sure that everything's been scraped off the bottom of the pot).

-Add in the drained broth, mix, and simmer your soup.

Step 5: The Bread

-While the soup is simmering, turn your oven on to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

-Line a parchment paper with as many sliced baguette pieces as you like (it is opt to sprinkle with olive oil).

*Mine is not baguette as I had none on hand (I used miche bread).

Step 6: Toast Your Bread

-It'll take about 6-8 minutes to toast your bread (watch carefully as to not burn it).

-When you're done, take your toast out and turn the oven on to broil for the next step.

Step 7: Constructing Your Soup

-Make sure your oven is turned onto broil.

-Grate cheese (enough to cover the soup and bread)

-Scoop as much soup as you like into an oven safe bowl (leave room for bread and cheese)

-Put a slice of toast on top of your soup and cover that with some cheese of choice

-Put in oven on a baking pan and broil until the cheese is crispy

-Take out and enjoy (be careful though, it'll be scorching hot)

*I did not have oven-safe bowls. Do not do what I did please,