French Onion Soup

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Welcome to startcooking.com…I’m Kathy Maister

Onions, onions and more onions…that’s what you’re going to need to make French onion soup!

The list of the OTHER ingredients and the equipment will be at the end of this video.

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The hardest part of making this recipe is peeling and slicing all those onions!

If onions make you cry…stick them in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes before you start slicing. That will help!

You could use a knife to make really thin slices… or a mandolin. No…not the musical instrument!

This mandolin is sometimes called a V-slicer. It’s really sharp and will slice the 1 and 1/2 pound onions we need for this recipe…very quickly.

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Once the onions are sliced we’re ready to turn on the stove and start cooking.

In a Dutch oven…which is a big pot with a lid… melt

3 Tablespoons of unsalted butter with
3 Tablespoons of olive oil and
1/2 teaspoon of sugar

Add the onions and cook them over medium-low heat for about 15-20 minutes

Every few minutes give them a stir and keep cooking them until they have turned a lovely golden brown color.

Now…gradually stir in 6 cups of beef stock.

Bring the pot to a boil; then lower heat and cover the pot.

Gently simmer the soup, for about 1 hour.

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While the soup is cooking…slice the French bread and put it on a baking sheet with sides. Toast both sides of the bread… under the broiler.

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When soup is cooked, stir in

1/2 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
And 4 Tablespoons of brandy…which is optional

Give it a taste to see if it needs any salt or freshly ground black pepper.

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To assemble the soup, place ovenproof soup bowls on a baking sheet with sides.

Ladle the hot soup into the bowls and top each serving with 1-2 slices of toasted French bread (or a handful of croutons).

Lay 1-3 thin slices of Swiss cheese on top of the bread.

Put the tray of soup under broiler, and melt the cheese until it golden brown and bubbly.

Serve this piping hot French onion soup immediately.

Enjoy!