Category: Soups

Posted on

Winter All-Afternoon Onion Soup

istock_000001245149xsmallOut our way, the fall was warm and sunny this year – with the shortening days eventually delivering on cooler days and cold nights only over the last week or two.

We love to make onion soup on cool days like this – see my earlier “Scott’s Favorite French Onion Soup” recipe for one of our favorite recipes. The problem with that recipe is that it’s one of those “stand over the stove and stir” recipes – and, if you get a bit impatient and over eager with the heat, you’ll subtly char the onions and have a bitter result. It’s frustrating – you’re looking for a great soup but it just takes a bit longer than it should.

A recent issue of Cook’s Illustrated included a new “Best French Onion Soup” recipe that took a new and different approach – what I call an “all-afternoon” recipe. The workload is light at the beginning – after peeling/slicing the onions. It involves almost 3 hours of oven roasting of the onions – and then about 30 minutes of repeated deglazing at the end to finish it up. If you’re doing other things in or near the kitchen on a Sunday afternoon, this recipe delivers a great result. You need to not be in a hurry, working on other things, and just enjoying the day! We’ve made this recipe a couple of times recently – here’s our adaptation.

Ingredients

4 lbs yellow onions, sliced
into 1/4 inch slices

3 Tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 cup dry Sherry

2+ cups water

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups beef broth

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp dried thyme

Kosher salt, fresh ground
pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Using a large Dutch oven, spray the inside with non-stick cooking spray. (We use a La Cruset 5 qt oval French oven and it’s worked fine – although Cook’s Illustrated recommends at least a 7 qt.)
  3. Place the butter in the Dutch oven along with all of the sliced onions and 1 tsp salt. Cover and cook in the oven for 1 hour.
  4. Remove from oven, stir, and return to oven for 1 hour.
  5. Remove from oven, stir, and return to oven for 45 minutes.
  6. Remove from oven and place on stove over medium-high heat. Scape the sides and bottom of the pot while the onions brown further for 15-20 minutes.
  7. Add 1/4 cup water to deglaze, scrape the bottom and sides. When the water has boiled off, repeat two more times. This repeated deglazing takes 20-25 minutes total.
  8. Add the 1/2 cup dry Sherry and stir while letting it evaporate (4-5 mins).
  9. Add the 4 cups chicken broth, 2 cups beef broth, 2 cups of water, the bay leaf, and the dried thyme.
  10. Bring the heat up to high, when simmering, reduce to low, cover and let simmer for at least 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf, season with salt and pepper to taste.

(Added: December 16, 2007 – Menlo Park, California)

Posted on

Scott’s Favorite French Onion Soup

istock_000001245149xsmall[Update: December 12, 2019 – See below for a new approach to carmelizing the onions more easily!]

This recipe was inspired by Husch Vineyards’ French Onion Soup recipe, modified a bit to suit our tastes better. Husch is a small family winery in the Anderson Valley of Mendocino County, just down the road from Navarro, Handley, Roederer, and some of our other favorites! Check here for a list of Anderson Valley wineries. Anderson Valley is one of the most beautiful California valleys and is on the road to Mendocino.

Ingredients

  • 3 to 5 medium yellow onions (3 lbs), sliced thin
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 4 cups chicken stock (substitute beef stock for stronger flavor)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 cup sherry or dry white wine

Directions

  1. Melt the butter and olive oil over a low heat in a large heavy-bottomed kettle. Add the onions and seasonings. Toss to coat the onion slices with butter/olive oil. Cover and cook on low heat until the onions are translucent, about 15 minutes.
  2. Remove cover and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are caramelized. This is a slow process and will take about 45 minutes to one hour stirring every 10 minutes or so. Grab a good book and read near your stove!
  3. When nicely caramelized, add the chicken (or beef) stock, bay leaf, and sherry. Simmer for another 15 to 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serves four – just the best with some crunchy sourdough cheese bread for dipping!

Update: Carmelizing Onions

Thanks to Cooks Illustrated for this alternative approach to carmelizing onions for making this soup. This technique is faster and easier than the traditional approach described above. Here are the steps for this technique.

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs yellow onions, sliced thin
  • 3/4 cup of water
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon water

Directions

  1. Slice onions thru the root (pole to pole)
  2. Place onions into 12-inch skillet with 3/4 cup of water, 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil. Boil over high heat, cover – until water evaporated and onions start to sizzle – about 10 mins
  3. Uncover, reduce heat to medium-high
  4. Using spatula, gently press onions into sides and bottom of skillet – without stirring – for about 30 seconds. Then stir, and gently press onions back into sides and bottom again. Repeat as needed until well browned and slightly sticky (15-20 mins).
  5. While the onions cook, combine 1/8 tsp of baking soda and 1 Tbsp of water in a bowl. Pour onto onions and stir constantly about 1 minute. Now done!

First posted: November 6, 2005. Updated: September 30, 2023