French Onion Soup for Two
By Christie MorrisonPublished on December 2, 2014
Time
1 hour
Yield
Serves 2
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Look for small or demi-baguettes in the bakery section of your supermarket. Three onions weigh about 1 1/2 pounds.
Instructions
- Combine onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt in bowl and microwave, covered, until fully softened, about 10 minutes; drain. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions, sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook until onions are golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes.
- Add 2 tablespoons water and cook until nearly evaporated, scraping up any browned bits, about 3 minutes. Add remaining 2 tablespoons water and cook until onions are brown, scraping up any browned bits, about 3 minutes. Stir in sherry and cook until evaporated, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in broth, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf. Increase heat to high and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Meanwhile, adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Arrange baguette slices on parchment paper–lined baking sheet and broil until deep golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove bread from oven and divide cheese evenly among slices; broil until melted and bubbly, 2 to 4 minutes.
- Ladle soup into bowls and place 2 baguette slices in each bowl. Serve.
Time
1 hourYield
Serves 2Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
To make a French onion soup full of slowly caramelized onion flavor that doesn’t require hours of attention at the stove, we turn to the microwave for a jump start. Microwaving the onions for just 10 minutes is the key to softening them and drawing out moisture so they will caramelize more quickly on the stovetop. Deglazing the pot with a few tablespoons of water helps reduce hot spots and even out browning. Chicken broth enhanced with dry sherry and thyme adds savory depth to the soup without cloaking the onions’ earthy sweetness. As for the cheesy crouton, we first toast baguette slices before topping them with Gruyère and broiling them to a bubbly finish—all while the soup simmers.
Before You Begin
Look for small or demi-baguettes in the bakery section of your supermarket. Three onions weigh about 1 1/2 pounds.
Instructions
- Combine onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt in bowl and microwave, covered, until fully softened, about 10 minutes; drain. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions, sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook until onions are golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes.
- Add 2 tablespoons water and cook until nearly evaporated, scraping up any browned bits, about 3 minutes. Add remaining 2 tablespoons water and cook until onions are brown, scraping up any browned bits, about 3 minutes. Stir in sherry and cook until evaporated, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in broth, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf. Increase heat to high and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Meanwhile, adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Arrange baguette slices on parchment paper–lined baking sheet and broil until deep golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove bread from oven and divide cheese evenly among slices; broil until melted and bubbly, 2 to 4 minutes.
- Ladle soup into bowls and place 2 baguette slices in each bowl. Serve.
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