French Onion Soup

Back when I was in my late teens/early twenties, my dad and I went on a skiing trip to Mount Saint Anne in Quebec. We had a great trip with lots of father daughter bonding but the highlight of our trip was the most incredible French Onion Soup we ever did have. French Onion Soup became our “dish”. The restaurant used a rich duck stock as the base of the dish and had perfectly caramelized onions, which gave a rich sweetness to the dish. My French Onion Soup is adapted from an Ina Garten recipe - when we returned from Mount Saint Anne, this was the recipe that most closely resembled that luxurious soup we had shared in Quebec.

My version has less alcohol and less cheese plus the addition of shallots, caramelized shallots are like a luxury all on their own. The alcohol in the brandy and wine get cooked out, so don’t worry about feeling tipsy after enjoying this soup. That being said choose a dry white wine you enjoy drinking, and a basic brandy will do just fine. It’s also important to use a flavourful stock - I use chicken stock and bone broth but a roasted veggie broth would also be great.

The cheese plays an important role in this dish and please don’t use mozzarella, invest in a nice melty swiss cheese like Emmental or Gruyere. They both have great flavour plus are good for melting, I like to add a little parmesan into the mix as it compliments the flavours in the swiss cheese. Why not mozzarella? Aside form the flavour aspect, mozzarella is quite bland, swiss cheese is actually healthier. Plus when you use a more flavourful cheese you need less. The goal when covering the top of the bowl is to concentrate all the cheese on top of the toasted bread as opposed to blanketing the entire opening of the bowl. This helps to “lighten up” the dish a bit.

Always double check that your bowl is heat safe before putting them under the broiler. If you turn the bowl upside down it should say that it is microwave or heat safe on the bottom. I surprisingly don’t have proper French Onion Soup vessels but any heat safe bowl will do the trick.

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds yellow onion, halved and sliced - 7 cups

4 shallots, halved and sliced - 1 cup

6 cloves garlic, sliced

6 sprigs thyme

¼ lb of grass-fed butter

2 bay leaves

½ cup brandy or cognac

1 ½ cups dry white wine

4 cups beef stock

4 cups chicken stock

Salt & fresh ground pepper

¼ cup parmesan cheese

1 cup gruyere or emmental cheese

4- 6 slices day sourdough or rye bread, ¼ of an inch thick (you want the bread to fit into the size of the bowl you are using

4 oven safe bowls

METHOD

In a large stock pot on medium high heat, add the butter, onions, garlic, thyme, bay leaves and generously season with salt.

Cook for 20 - 30 minutes or until the onions turn a rich golden brown.

Deglaze the pan with the brandy, simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.

Add the white wine and simmer uncovered for another 15 minutes.

Add the stocks and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, uncovered.

The liquid will reduce a bit and that’s okay because it intensify the flavour.

Preheat broiler (500 F)

Place sliced bread on a baking sheet and toast in the oven - keeping an eye that the bread does not get too golden or burn

Divide the soup between 4 - 6 oven safe bowls

Top with toasted bread and both cheeses.

Return to the oven, under the boiler and broil until cheese begins to bubble,

again watching to make sure cheese does not burn.