French Onion Soup Gratinée
It’s interesting to think how much our taste buds change from childhood to adulthood and even after we’re all grown up, our tastes still change. There’s a story I mentioned in an earlier recipe post about when I was a child that will help you understand where I am going with all this… Pâte à Choux aka Choux Pastry… please check it out.
When I was little, there were a few dishes I could’ve lived without and one of them was French Onion Soup Gratinée! Although I’m a cheese addict and well known as Minnie Mouse, there’s something about too many onions in a broth I just didn’t like. Keep in mind that I was around 10…
As I mentioned, things change with time and I eventually started loving this classic soup but (that’s right, there’s a “but”) to my taste, there was something missing, some flavors that needed to be added to this French Onion Soup Gratinée!
Toronto weather is quite mild compared to Montréal but still, winter is winter in Canada. A couple of nights prior to me making my “first” homemade onion soup, I created a recipe that used onions and I was still left with a big one and another partial one (white and red). It was yucky outside, cold and humid, the typical night where you don’t want to step outside so I took the bull by the horns and made my first French Onion Soup Gratinée!
My version has a lot of flavor in it, flavors that you might not necessarily have in other recipes. I’d say that my key ingredient is Marsala Wine. I toast my Bread at first because really, who likes a soggy piece of bread at the bottom of their soup bowl. Also I caramelize my onions long enough to bring out the sweetness in them. When it comes to cheese, in the video I use Provolone cheese but Swiss, Emmental or Gruyère are great choices as well…
I really hope you’ll read my story from the Pâte à Choux blog because the dish I was stubbornly sitting in front of for hours, not touching it was this soup. Well not exactly this soup because since my taste buds have changed, I tweaked my French Onion Soup Gratinée just the way I like it…
Bon Appétit!
Check out these other tasty soup recipes…
– Wonton Soup
– Split Pea & Ham Soup
– Turkey Noodle Soup
– Carrot Soup with Mashed Potatoes
– Minestrone Soup
– Udon Noodle Soup
and for even more soup and chowder recipes, click on this link… Recipe Category • Soups
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French Onion Soup Gratinée
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Ingredients
- 4 tbsp. butter tips & tricks
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 4 cups mixed onions (red and white), Lyonnaise cut and halved tips & tricks
- 1 large clove garlic, pressed
- 1 tsp. ground Himalayan sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, to taste (I always use mixed peppercorns)
- 5 tbsp. Marsala wine
- 4 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth Footnote
- 2 sprigs thyme (substitute 1/2 tsp. dried thyme)
- 1/4 tsp. garlic salt
- 1 large bay leaf
- 4 slices bread (about 1-inch thick), large enough to fit in your bowls
- 1/2 cup Asiago cheese, grated and divided (substitute Swiss, Gruyère or Emmental)
- 2 slices Swiss cheese (substitute Provolone, Gruyère or Emmental cheese)
Directions
- In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter and add oil. When it gets hot, add onions, garlic and sea salt; sauté for 2 minutes. Add freshly ground black pepper, stir, reduce the heat to medium and cover; cook for 8 minutes, stirring every couple minutes.
- Uncover, reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking for another 10 minutes, stirring often.
- Pour in Marsala wine (*see footnote) and continue stirring; cook until the wine has almost evaporated.
- Pour in beef broth and vegetable broth; bring to a simmer.
- Add thyme, garlic salt and bay leaf; cook for 15 minutes. When ready to serve, remove thyme and bay leaf.
- Preheat the broiler and move the rack to the second row from the top.
- Place the 4 bread slices on a baking sheet and transfer to the oven; toast until golden brown.
- Remove from the heat, flip over and return to the oven.
- When almost done, sprinkle Asiago cheese on two slices only. Return to the oven and cook until the cheese is melted.
- Place each toast with cheese at the bottom of the soup bowls. Ladle the beef broth mixture over and then place toasted sliced bread on top.
- Add two slices of Swiss cheese per bowl, sprinkle on the remaining Asiago cheese and transfer the bowls under the broiler. Cook until the cheese is melted and browned, about 3-4 minutes.
Notes
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