Onion soup with croutons
4 servings
240 minutes
French onion soup is a phenomenon as incomprehensible to the Russian as it is beloved and close to the French. This soup made from a huge amount of onions, rich broth and croutons is a clear demonstration of the fact that from the simplest and most accessible products you can make a very tasty dish.
1
It's better to use young fresh onions. Old ones that have been stored for a long time are very bitter. Slice the onions into thin rings; you can use a mandoline for speed.
- Onion: 1.5 kg
2
Remove the leaves from the thyme branches and chop them into a powder: the finer they are, the more aroma thyme will release.
- Thyme: 10 g
3
Start frying the onions in batches of 500 grams in a pan with oil. First, place the pan on high heat and fry the onions while stirring intensively. The onions will begin to dry out and turn yellow while losing structure and softening. Usually, it takes 7-15 minutes from the start of frying to this point. Transfer the onions to another container and place the second batch in the pan, frying it just like the first; then fry the third batch. Once the third batch of onions is soft and yellowish, add back the first batches of onions to the pan and mix everything together. Then add thinly sliced garlic. Reduce the heat to medium and continue frying.
- Onion: 1.5 kg
- Butter: 50 g
- Garlic: 50 g
4
This amber onion will become after 1 hour of frying. It will shrink about 10 times, which is why you need to start with so much. You can't get distracted: if the onion burns, there will be bitterness instead of caramel flavor, and nothing can be done.
5
Towards the end of frying, stirring the onion becomes harder as it starts to clump and stick together. At this stage, the main thing is to collect the burnt residue at the bottom of the pan. It must be scraped off but not discarded; instead, it should be mixed back into the onion mass: these crusts give the soup a caramel flavor. The burnt residue is the juice released by the onion when immediately fried.
6
This is what the residue looks like at the bottom of the saucepan. It forms very quickly, every minute, so you can't put the onions on the stove and go watch a movie. You need to stand by the saucepan, stir the onions, and scrape off the residue.
7
Add sugar and stir the onion mixture until it dissolves. The onion interacting with the sugar should darken. At this stage, add half of the thyme and mix.
- Sugar: 15 g
- Thyme: 10 g
8
Pour cognac into the saucepan and ignite it. Alcohol is added to the soup for more flavor and aroma: it will add a bit of bitterness and spiciness. It needs to be ignited to release the alcohol from the cognac faster.
- Cognac: 100 ml
9
Add broth and demi-glace to taste. Taste the soup and adjust the flavor with salt and pepper.
- Beef broth: 1 l
- Demi-glace sauce: 100 g
10
Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat, and let it simmer for about 1 hour while keeping an eye on it. During cooking, the soup will change consistency and you may need to add broth.
11
The ideal consistency of onion soup should be thick but not overly dense. The onions in the pot do not float on top or lie at the bottom; they are evenly distributed in the broth. The onions should be easy to chew and not crunchy on the teeth. The broth should be rich and a beautiful oak or dark amber color. Cover the finished soup and let it steep for 2-3 hours. Then reheat it, taste it, and adjust with salt and pepper if needed.
- Beef broth: 1 l
12
Now for the croutons. They can be made from yesterday's bread. The bread can be any type - wheat, rye, baguette or loaf. But avoid bread with a strong flavor, like Borodinsky; that's a whole different story. The onion soup is prepared in portions, so take as many croutons as there are servings of soup. Cut off the crusts and dry the bread in the oven, on the grill or in a toaster. Make sure it doesn't turn into toast.
- White bread: 4 pieces
13
Chop the onion and parsley leaves, mix them with the remaining thyme, add to the soup and stir.
- Chives: to taste
- Parsley: to taste
- Thyme: 10 g
14
Traditionally, onion soup is served in a tall dish of small diameter. Pour the soup from the pot into bowls or plates. Place a crouton on top of the soup and fully submerge it in the broth. It will still float. It is important that it starts to soak up the broth from all sides.
15
Sprinkle each plate with grated cheese, evenly distributing it over the surface of the soup. Place the soup in a preheated oven for 2 minutes. The goal is not to bake the soup but to turn the cheese into a delicate crust. Once the cheese melts and covers the surface of the soup, remove it and serve.
- Gruyere cheese: 60 g