Since the weather here in Stuttgart doesn’t seem to be anywhere near Spring-like figured it was time to revisit a soup that I’ve only grown to love as an adult.
A few years ago I lived in Boston and enjoyed many of the best things the city has to offer, including lunch and Shakespeare in the Commons. But one of my favorite things was French onion soup at the Beantown Pub. It wasn’t an everyday menu special but if you got there on the right day you’d get a delicious soup with caramelized onions and a hearty broth. Maybe I enjoyed it so much because we’d wash it down with a few cold glasses of Guinness Extra Stout, but whatever the reason it was a great way to kill a few hours during lunchtime.
Even though I’m a huge fan of Gruyere cheese I am not a fan of the typical sheet of melted cheese over the bowl. First of all it means you’re greeted by piping hot soup that’s far too hot to eat, but it also means you have to basically eat all of the cheese before you get to the soup and honestly I’d rather eat it together.
So armed with some delicious Vandalia onions, organic beef stock, Cognac and mini rolls, I was ready to put my own spin on French onion soup.
Instead of just your basic liquid broth, we had the idea of making it creamy without adding cream. Once the onions are perfectly caramelized, I added flour to coat the onions and let them cook for a few minutes before adding equal parts broth and water. It came out deliciously creamy and perfectly fitting for the gloomy grey day outside.
If you have ramekins you can always choose to melt Gruyere or any other type of cheese on top if you prefer, but I just grated a bit of Pecorino Romano on top just before serving. I also used beef broth mixed with vegetable broth so the flavors weren’t too strong, but with enough seasoning to satisfy the obsessive soup lover in my household.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
7 onions, quartered then sliced
½ cup flour
1/3 cup Cognac
1 ½ tbsp. extra virgin olive ol
2 tbsp. rosemary
½ tbsp. herbs de Provence
2 cups beef broth
2 cups vegetable broth
1 ½ cup water
Salt & Pepper to seasoning
Directions
1. Heat oil over medium heat in a large stock pot.
2. Add in onions & rosemary and season with salt and pepper.
3. Cook onions about 20 minutes until they begin to caramelize.
4. Stir in flour until onions are fully coated, cook 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Slowly stir in broth until flour is no longer visible and bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat to a simmer as soup thickens. Add cognac just before serving.
7. Let sit for a few minutes then serve. Grate cheese on top if desired.
8. Serve with rolls (optional).
*I used mini ciabatta rolls, seasoned and baked in the oven, then cut into strips for easy dunkin’!
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