Wednesday, October 23, 2013

French Onion Soup for One

I had some stale leftover bread and decided to make French Onion Soup for One. If I was making a big batch I'd be torn between Tyler Florence's recipe and The Pioneer Woman's recipe. Since I was just playing with making a bowl for myself, I used what sounded good to me.
I didn't have wine, vermouth or sherry (and figured Miller Lite wasn't an option:@), so I opted out of adding any alcohol to my soup. Cheese... they say Gruyere or Swiss is best, cheddar was in the fridge. Provolone would always be my personal first choice.

French Onion Soup for One
One yellow onion, bigger than a baseball, peeled, cut in quarters, then sliced 1/8" thick
1 tsp butter
1 tsp olive oil
small pinch salt
1 small clove garlic, minced fine
1 very small pinch of dried thyme
2 tsp flour
couple drops of Worcestershire Sauce
a few grinds of black pepper
1 1/2 C beef broth-I used water with about 1 1/4 tsp Beef Better Than Bouillon
1/2 tsp vinegar, I had cider vinegar, balsamic or red wine would be nice 
Crusty bread sliced 1" thick
Cheese
  1. Heat butter and oil in 3 quart pot over medium heat. Add onion, a little pinch of salt and stir to coat. Allow to cook slowly for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent and beginning to turn a golden color. Take your time and enjoy this folks, it smells great:@)
  2. Add garlic and thyme, cook for 5 minutes more, stirring constantly.
  3. Sprinkle on flour, stir to incorporate the flour well, cook for 1 minute. 
  4. Add Worcestershire, pepper and beef broth, mix well and bring to a boil, reduce to simmer for 10 minutes. 
  5. Remove from heat, stir in vinegar (don't forget the vinegar, especially if you don't use wine) and fill your bowl.
  6. Toast a thick slice of bread under broiler (add butter if you'd like). 
  7. Cheese: You can either add cheese to the top of the bread, melt it under the broiler and then add it to the bowl (as I did) or float the bread in the bowl and then add the cheese and toast it under the broiler (if you have oven safe bowls). 
Posted by at
Labels: , , ,