Tom Kerridge's French Onion Soup
There's one non-negotiable in this recipe: the onions must be cooked slowly so that they retain moisture as they sweeten in the pan. The rest is easy. Bon appetit!
Ingredients
Comté croutons:
Method
- Put the oil and butter into a large non-stick saucepan and place it over a medium-high heat. Once the butter is foaming, add the onions. Cook them on a medium-high heat for around 15-20 minutes, making sure to stir continuously so that they don't catch on the bottom of the pan.
- At this stage we just want to get a little colour on the onions. Once they've begun to caramelise a little, drop the heat to low and let them cook really gently for another 25 minutes. Make sure to keep an eye on them and stir regularly. They will turn a deep golden brown and become almost jammy in consistency.
- Once the onions have reached this stage, increase the heat a little, add the garlic and sugar and stir well. Next stir in the flour and let this cook for 1-2 minutes, before deglazing the pan with the wine. Stir again and let the onions and wine bubble away for 2 minutes before adding the stock, thyme and bay leaves. Bring the soup up to a simmer and cook gently for 15 -20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180C with the grill element on.
- While the soup is simmering, place the sourdough pieces onto a lined oven tray. Mix the olive oil with the garlic and pour this over the bread, moving everything around with your fingers so that all the bread is evenly coated. Season with a pinch of salt and place the tray into the oven on the middle shelf for 8-10 minutes or until the bread is toasted and golden brown.
- Next, sprinkle the grated Comté cheese over the sourdough croutons. Place the tray on a slightly higher shelf, under the grill, for 4-5 minutes or until the cheese is golden, melted and bubbling. Remove from the oven and set to one side.
- Once the soup is ready, stir in the cognac or brandy, taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Ladle the soup into bowls and while the cheesy croutons are still hot, scoop them onto a metal spatula and carefully transfer them onto the soup in each bowl. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Rate this recipe
Overall Rating:
4.00
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