French Onion Soup

Emjay99's Note:

Of all the french onion soup recipes I have tried, this one I think has the best classic flavour. The secret is the leaf thyme and teaspoonful of sugar.

• Total Time: 25 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 5 onions , halved and sliced thin
• 1 clove garlic , minced
• 2 tablespoons flour
• pepper (do not add salt!)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon dried leaf thyme (not ground!)
• 2 cans consomme
• 1 ¾ cups water
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

For the topping

• 4 slices French bread , 1 inch thick
• 2 cups combination of grated cheese (swiss, parmesan, mozzarella, edam is good)

Directions:

1. Heat oil and butter and saute onion and garlic until soft, do not brown.
2. Sift over flour and add pepper, sugar and thyme and cook gently about a minute.
3. Pour in the consomme, water and wine.
4. Add parsley.
5. Simmer gently about 15 to 20 minutes until onions are limp.
6. Ladle the soup into 4 deep oven proof bowls preferably ones that have handles.
7. Place a slice of bread on top of the soup, push down slightly and smother with a 1/2 cup cheese mixture per bowl.
8. Broil until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

Reviews

[Rex Gerhardt]

Although this soup is "Good" it is far to complicated/complex. Too many flavors competing for front stage. Is this a consomme with onions or even an onion gravy. I prefer simple when it comes to Onion Soup. Let the onion take the lead with a simple watery broth as a back drop. The bread will add the needed body to the soup. There is no need for the flour.

[William (Uncle Bill) Anatooskin]

Hi Emjay99; I made your marvelous soup last night and enjoyed it to no end. I did add 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce to your recipe, gave it that extra little tang. Thank you so much for sharing. "Uncle Bill"

[Joje in Oklahoma City, OK, United States]

I chose your French Onion Soup recipe over all of the others that I'd reviewed--and I want to say that your's is simply delicious! My husband stated he never thought the day would come when he would love onion soup--but he sure likes your's. He could make a meal on two bowls of it. I did add a couple more sliced onions to my soup pot--because they shrink when all of their moisture has been sweated out of them. I wanted plenty of onions in the broth. I used 3 cans of beef broth for the consomme and omitted the water, plus I reduced the white wine to 1/4 cup. Before ladling the soup into our individual bowls, I cut up a stick of mozzarella string cheese for the bottom of each bowl. I followed the rest of your recipe, exactly as you've have stated it.