5 onions (finely sliced)
1.5 c marsala
.5 c sweet vermouth
2 gallons of beef stock
.5 cup sherry
3 bay leaves
3 springs of thyme
3 branches of parsley
5-10 peppercorns


slowly saute onions in large pot over low/me heat for about 2-3 hrs. stir every 10 min... the longer you go the more frequently you need to stir. if there is any cooking to fast add a couple of ounces of water. deglaze with marsala and vermouth. reduce by half. add stock. brign heat up.. bring to boil.. then simmer for about 30 min- 1 hr. create a seasoning bag (sachet) wuth coffee filter and string.... put the bay leaves, parsley, thyme and peppercorn in.... add sachet to soup for the duration of simmering... then discard... add sherry.....

best served with gruyere melted over toasted baguette slices.

what type of onions?

Right on Bier, I'll give it a shot. I love french onion soup.

yellow.


in the past i have used yellow, red, leeks, and shallots....


i have also used red wine/port as my deglazing liquid.....

Nice recipe Bier, i like to top the soup crock/cup with cheese and put under a broiler for a couple minutes too.

Looks great!

The ingredients didn't list gruyere, or any 'breadlike' product....I was a little worried!

nod.... that's what you do with the baguette and gruyere.

^^

Thanks, that gives me a start!

OH YA.....it's soup season & i love onions......only place i've ever had it is Panera.....

Thanks Bier!

Personally, I'm not a huge fan. My wife loves it however. Its a little disappointing that this recipe is going to make me a superstar and I'm not going to want to go near her. Thanks a lot

Love it - thanks.

Excellent!!!

You should re-name all yer ff teams to "3 Springs of Thyme" my friend

Bier, how much soup does this recipe make?? 2 gallons of stock? I assume all the ingredients could just be halved?

yeah. can half it.. just use 3 onions (always round up when making fo soup). watch the onions though, they will cook much faster with fewer in the pot.... med heat and add 1/2 c of water from the beginning. the water will evaporate. just keep stirring and adding a little water as it gets pretty low (au sec- almost dry).

thanks Bier.

Dumb question.....do the peppercorns disolve or do you grind them before adding them?

peppercorns go in to the sachet (little pouch of herbs). will not disolve... they get removed when sachet is pulled from the soup.

TY! Mrs. RR prolly knew that.

Edit for:

It's in the recipe/instructions!

^^^ for peteteacher

Mrs. HR made the soup today (she must have halved the recipe cause it's almost gone). I am in complete onion soup bliss right now. That is one GREAT recipe Bier! Thanks, friend, I definitely owe you one!


Not that I have room for any but what would be a good dessert to go with this? Mrs HR didn't want to give me my suggestion. (A full body massage). And I don't know about the rest of the Huddlers but if your wife can cook half as good as Mrs HR you are in paradise already. I swear she could make a brown paper bag taste good.

apple tartlettes made with chevre...... not overly sweet, but still a nice finish to the soup



edit: glad you liked it.. one of my favorites

1 Golden Delicious apple
1 frozen puff pastry sheet (from one 17 1/4-ounce package frozen puff pastry sheets), thawed
2 oz chevre
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons water

Peel apple, halve lengthwise, and core. Using a 1-cup ramekin (3 1/4 inches across and 2 1/4 inches deep) as a guide, cut out 2 rounds from pastry sheet.

In a 7-inch heavy skillet heat butter over moderate heat until foam subsides and stir in brown sugar and water. Add apple halves and cook, turning frequently, 3 minutes. In two 1-cup ramekins set on a baking sheet arrange apple halves, cored sides up, add cheese to each, and top evenly with sauce.

Top apples with pastry rounds, letting edges of pastry hang over sides of apples. Bake tarts in middle of oven for 20 minutes, or until pastry is puffed and golden brown, and cool on a rack 5 minutes. Working with 1 ramekin at a time, invert a plate over each ramekin and invert ramekin onto plate. Carefully lift off ramekins.

makes 2

^^^

at request of a couple of huddlers

Last time I made FO soup I had a distinct problem. I put the baguette on top, put the cheese on top of that, put it in the broiler. . . .and the bread and cheese sunk to the bottom! No crusty melted cheese. Just a stringy mass at the bottom of the crock.

How do I prevent that?

I toast the bagette first

Did that.

hmmm.... i really haven't seen much sinking of crostini....

type of bowl?
how thick are crostini?
how many can fit in bowl?
how much cheese?


i have always toast the crostini (without cheese) first... then in bowl... then spread shreaded gruyere... then under broiler... i have done slices of cheese and it works just as well

I have a set of 4 of these (MAN do I have too much time before MNF!):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12227042@N05/1356025233/

Got 'em off e-bay for a buck a piece.

If I remember right, last time I made the crostini out of french baguette cut into thick slices, so something in the range of 3 inch rounds. Just one per bowl. I thought my big mistake was using shredded cheese rather than sliced, but I gather that you use shredded too. I was thinking the secret was to use slices that overlap the edges of the bowl so it doesn't sink and it has that "melted around the sides of the bowl" thing going on that's oh so much fun to peel and eat.

Damn. . .I'm hungry.

sheik,

i would suggest smaller baguettes, and cutting it thinner (about 1/4" thick) and go with about 2 in that bowl... go with slices of gruyere

Now I've seen everything. Most men measure their cock, not their crock.

I've been told its rather large. . .

ZING!!

French Onion Soup Chemistry: I know this sounds off the rocker, but whenever I have good French Onion soup (and it's been a while now) I get lightheaded and slightly nauseous afterwards. I know it doesn't make sense, but that's the main reason I can't eat it.

I have no known food allergies either.

That's simply the overwhelming desire to surrender, brought on by eating French food.

No, I don't.

I love french-onion soup at room temperature

Hmm. No wonder it made me nauseous.

^^^

That's freakin psychic! I was just thinking about FOS yesterday!

^^

it's getting to be that time of year......

Guess I will be off to the store for some ingredients.

5 onions (finely sliced)
1.5 c marsala - Need
.5 c sweet vermouth - Need
2 gallons of beef stock
.5 cup sherry - Need
3 bay leaves - Need
3 springs of thyme
3 branches of parsley
5-10 peppercorns - Need

keep in mind that this makes a good amout of soup.. you may want to half or quarter it depending on how many you are making it for and how much you want left over.