French Onion Soup for the Snow Bound

I have not blogged in a long while and I do apologize for that.  I have been very busy with family things (all good), and in my book of life, they always come first.

I also want to pay it forward and thank a fellow blogger who highlighted me on her blog series called “Saturday Spotlight: Life Behind the Blogger” – you can read it here . Kris of Junk Chic Cottage reached out to me right after I started my blog and ask me to participate in this and I immediately said “yes” and was very touched by her genuine kindness towards me as a new blogger. Kris has an amazing blog herself, and she’s one of the best DIYers I’ve seen in quite some time.  Please check out her blog here – you will love it ~  and her!

 Spring is just around the corner, but until it arrives let’s stay in, build a fire, and try a new soup recipe.

 I was looking for a healthy alternative to French Onion Soup and came across this recipe.  It was so simple with very few ingredients and that’s a priority for me when searching out new recipes for my test kitchen. Being house-bound yesterday prompted me to try it -and I was amazed at the results.  The wonderful soup is adapted from one of my favorite food blogs, Smitten Kitchen.  It is one of the best soups I have tried to date,and you won’t miss the butter, cream, fat or oil.  Promise.

French Onion Soup

5 cups thinly sliced yellow onions

1/3 cup beef broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarians) to saute onions

1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar (helps onions to brown)

3 tablespoons all purpose flour (can also use gluten free four)

8 cups low salt beef stock or broth (again, substitute vegetable broth for vegetarian version)

1/2 cup dry white white

Freshly ground black pepper

Swiss and/or Parmesan cheese (I used a mixture of both)

To make the croutons you will need one French baguette and salt and pepper to taste

In a large 4-5 quart saucepan or Dutch oven, saute the onions with the 1/3 cup beef stock over low heat. Cover and let steep for about 20 minutes.  You don’t need to stir or check on them at all so go get the laundry started.

After 20 minutes, uncover the pot, raise the heat slightly and stir in the salt and sugar. Cook onions, stirring frequently for 40 minutes until they have turned an even, deep golden brown.  Don’t skimp on this step as it will build the intense flavor base for this great tasting soup.  If they are not a rich caramel brown color after 40 minutes, don’t hesitate to cook and stir for another 10-20 minutes.

 

After the onions are fully caramelized, sprinkle them with flour and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the wine, then add the stock a little at a time, stirring between additions.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Bring to a simmer and cook partially covered for 30-40 more minutes.

Simmer your soup on low while you make the croutons.

Spray baguette rounds with cooking spray and season with salt and pepper. Place under the broiler until they are toasty brown and crunchy – they can be a bit overdone because they will be soaking in your soup.

Place four to six oven proof soup bowls or crocks on a large baking sheet lined with foil.  Place a crusty baguette round in the bottom of each (I used two because I love croutons in my soup).  Ladle in soup, then mound your cheese on top of the bowl (I used Swiss slices and let them spill over the sides and sprinkled Parmesan on top of that).  Place under your broiler until cheese is melted and gooey.  Serve with the additional baguette rounds.

The soup takes awhile to develop the flavors, so you will want to start on it early or make it for tomorrow.  It’s one of those dishes that tastes even better the next day.

Enjoy!