French Onion Soup Recipe
Adapted from Kitchen Inspirations
Recipe Overview
Preparation time (both methods): 8 minutes
Cooking time (Instant Pot): around 30 minutes
Cooking time (stovetop): around 1 hour 10 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients Needed
For Soup
- 4 yellow/brown medium onions (around 600g/1.3lb trimmed weight total)
- 60g/2oz butter
- 2 tablespoons/30ml/1oz extra virgin olive oil
- 60ml/2oz brandy, white or red wine
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 litre/1 quart real liquid beef stock (not from stock cubes)
- 2-3 teaspoons brown sugar to taste
- Salt and pepper
For Croutons
- 8 slices baguette (two per bowl)
- 120g/4oz Gruyere cheese
Step-By-Step Instructions
INSTANT POT DIRECTIONS
Step 1 ONIONS- Peel the onions (4 medium onions, around 600g/1.3lb trimmed weight total) and trim ends off. Mandolin onions on the finest setting and add to the instant pot. Add the butter (60g/2oz), olive oil (2 tablespoons/30ml/1oz), brandy or red wine (60ml/2oz) and bay leaves (4 bay leaves). Place lid on and set to pressure cook high for 15 minutes. Release pressure and remove the lid.
Step 2 PREP - While the pressure cooker is cooking, toast the baguette slices (8 slices, two per bowl) and grate the Gruyere cheese (120g/4oz).
Step 3 SOUP- Set the instant pot to 10 minutes saute. Add in the garlic (2 cloves) and saute the garlic and onions and allow to caramelise further, around 4-5 minutes scraping the fond on the base. Add in beef stock (1 litre/1 quart) and bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add sugar (2-3 teaspoons, to taste) and season with salt and pepper.
Step 4 SERVE - Divide into oven proof bowls and place some grated cheese on top of the soup. Then add two toasts on top of each and then sprinkle extra cheese on top. Place under a hot grill to melt. Caution: the bowls and soup will be very hot!
STOVETOP DIRECTIONS
Step 1 ONIONS- Peel the onions (4 medium onions, around 600g/1.3lb trimmed weight total) and trim ends off. Mandolin onions on the finest setting. Add the butter (60g/2oz) and olive oil (2 tablespoons/30ml/1oz) to a pot and melt the butter on low to medium heat. Add the onions and allow to caramelise and soften for 40 minutes uncovered. Add brandy or red wine (60ml/2oz) and bay leaves (4 bay leaves) and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Step 2 PREP - While the onions are caramelising, toast the baguette slices (8 slices, two per bowl) and grate the Gruyere cheese (120g/4oz).
Step 3 SOUP- Add in the garlic (2 cloves) and saute the garlic and onions for a minute. Then add the beef broth (1 litre/1 quart) and bring to a boil and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add sugar (2-3 teaspoons, to taste) and season with salt and pepper.
Step 4 SERVE - Divide into oven proof bowls and place two toasts on top of each and then sprinkle cheese on top. Place under a hot grill to melt. Caution: the bowls and soup will be very hot!
Personal Note
Mr NQN is very funny about food. If it were up to him he would exist on fruit. I made a few batches of this before I came to a version that I loved. It was mainly because of the beef stock I was using. In the first batch I used beef stock cubes which were very strong in flavour and way too strong for a balanced soup. So I remade it using real beef stock and it was divine. I tried it in the instant pot and then on the stovetop just to make sure it worked in both.
Mr NQN had just eaten three pieces of pizza for lunch but I wanted him to taste it to see what he thought. I handed him a bowl of the soup and asked him to taste it and asked him if it was better than the first soup. He nodded. And instead of handing me back the bowl he put it down on his table.
I went to the kitchen to turn off the grill and came back to take the bowl only to see that he was enthusiastically slurping on the soup and that within a minute it was all gone! And then he bestowed his ultimate compliment for a non fruit meal. "I like that. A lot!" he said.
So tell me Dear Reader, are there dishes that you love to eat but don't make often because they take too long?