French Onion Soup Gratinee
By America's Test KitchenPublished on August 21, 2007
Time
1¾ hours
Yield
Serves 6
Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter 5 medium red onions (about 3 pounds), sliced thinTable salt 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth (canned)1 ¾ cups low-sodium beef broth (canned)¼ cup dry red wine 2 sprigs fresh parsley leaves 1 sprig fresh thyme 1 bay leaf 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar Ground black pepper 1 baguette, cut on the bias into ¾-inch slices (2 slices per serving)4 ½ ounces Swiss cheese, sliced 1/16-inch thick1 ½ ounces grated Asiago cheese (about ¾ cup)
Before You Begin
Tie the parsley and thyme sprigs together with kitchen twine so they will be easy to retrieve from the soup pot. Slicing the baguette on the bias will yield slices shaped to fill the mouths of the bowls.
Instructions
- Melt butter in large soup kettle or Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add sliced onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir to coat onions thoroughly with butter. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are reduced and syrupy and inside of pot is coated with very deep brown crust, 30 to 35 minutes. Stir in the chicken and beef broths, red wine, parsley, thyme, and bay leaf, scraping pot bottom with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits, and bring to simmer. Simmer to blend flavors, about 20 minutes, and discard herbs. Stir in balsamic vinegar and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. (Can be cooled to room temperature and refrigerated in airtight container up to 2 days; return to simmer before finishing soup with croutons and cheese).
- For the Crusts: Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the bread out on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, flipping once, until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven. Turn the oven to broil.
- Set heat-safe soup bowls or crocks on rimmed baking sheet and fill each with about 1 1/2 cups soup. Top each bowl with two toasted baguette slices and divide Swiss cheese slices, laying them in a single layer, if possible, on bread. Sprinkle each serving with about 2 tablespoons grated Asiago cheese and broil until well browned and bubbly, 7 to 10 minutes. Cool 5 minutes and serve.
Time
1¾ hoursYield
Serves 6Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 medium red onions (about 3 pounds), sliced thin
Table salt
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth (canned)
1 ¾ cups low-sodium beef broth (canned)
¼ cup dry red wine
2 sprigs fresh parsley leaves
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Ground black pepper
1 baguette, cut on the bias into ¾-inch slices (2 slices per serving)
4 ½ ounces Swiss cheese, sliced 1/16-inch thick
1 ½ ounces grated Asiago cheese (about ¾ cup)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 medium red onions (about 3 pounds), sliced thin
Table salt
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth (canned)
1 ¾ cups low-sodium beef broth (canned)
¼ cup dry red wine
2 sprigs fresh parsley leaves
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Ground black pepper
1 baguette, cut on the bias into ¾-inch slices (2 slices per serving)
4 ½ ounces Swiss cheese, sliced 1/16-inch thick
1 ½ ounces grated Asiago cheese (about ¾ cup)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 medium red onions (about 3 pounds), sliced thin
Table salt
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth (canned)
1 ¾ cups low-sodium beef broth (canned)
¼ cup dry red wine
2 sprigs fresh parsley leaves
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Ground black pepper
1 baguette, cut on the bias into ¾-inch slices (2 slices per serving)
4 ½ ounces Swiss cheese, sliced 1/16-inch thick
1 ½ ounces grated Asiago cheese (about ¾ cup)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
To make a better, quicker onion soup recipe, we created a "cheaters" broth with canned beef, chicken broths, and wine. We chose red onions for subtle complexity and nuance, and caramelized them for maximum flavor. To prevent the crouton in our French onion soup recipe from getting too soggy, we placed it atop the soup, so only the bottom was submerged. For the cheese—the raison d'être of French onion soup—we liked a combination of pungent Swiss topped with subdued Italian Asiago or Parmesan.
Before You Begin
Tie the parsley and thyme sprigs together with kitchen twine so they will be easy to retrieve from the soup pot. Slicing the baguette on the bias will yield slices shaped to fill the mouths of the bowls.
Instructions
- Melt butter in large soup kettle or Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add sliced onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir to coat onions thoroughly with butter. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are reduced and syrupy and inside of pot is coated with very deep brown crust, 30 to 35 minutes. Stir in the chicken and beef broths, red wine, parsley, thyme, and bay leaf, scraping pot bottom with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits, and bring to simmer. Simmer to blend flavors, about 20 minutes, and discard herbs. Stir in balsamic vinegar and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. (Can be cooled to room temperature and refrigerated in airtight container up to 2 days; return to simmer before finishing soup with croutons and cheese).
- For the Crusts: Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the bread out on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, flipping once, until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven. Turn the oven to broil.
- Set heat-safe soup bowls or crocks on rimmed baking sheet and fill each with about 1 1/2 cups soup. Top each bowl with two toasted baguette slices and divide Swiss cheese slices, laying them in a single layer, if possible, on bread. Sprinkle each serving with about 2 tablespoons grated Asiago cheese and broil until well browned and bubbly, 7 to 10 minutes. Cool 5 minutes and serve.
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