A great example of making the most out of just a handful of ingredients. Gently caramelizing the onions draws out incredible depth and flavor.
Ingredients
- 2-3 tbsp butter
- 2 lb yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced
- ¾ tsp salt, plus more to taste
- 6 cups beef stock
- ¾ cup dry white wine
- 1 tbsp oxidative sherry, such as Oloroso or Amontillado
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp black pepper, plus more to taste
- 6-10 thick slices of crusty bread
- 1 cup grated Gruyère cheese
Preparation
- Melt the butter in a deep pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions and the salt, then cook until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Adjust the heat to low and cook gently until the onions are deeply caramelized. Give this time. It can take up to an hour to complete.
- As the onions caramelize, heat the beef broth in a saucepan over low heat.
- Once onions are caramelized, add wine and sherry to the pot and allow mixture to come to boil. Combine the flour with a little bit of cool stock or water and add it to the pot. Cook until just starting to thicken, 1-2 minutes.
- Slowly add warmed broth to the onions along with the pepper. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
- Preheat the broiler to low. Arrange a series of single-sized, ovenproof casseroles or soup dishes on a baking sheet. Portion the soup into the dishes, and cover the tops with the bread slices. Generously sprinkle the Gruyère overtop of each dish.
- Carefully position the baking sheet with the dishes under the broiler. Broil for a 1-2 minutes, or until the cheese melts and begins to brown. Serve hot, while the cheese is still gooey, ideally with some nice French wine.
