French Onion Soup
The classic French soup, delicious as a starter or a hearty lunch.
Preparation Time:20 minutes
Cooking Time:50 minutes
Level of Difficulty:Easy
Servings:4
Ingredients
- 30g Olive or Grapeseed Oil
- 2 Juniper Berries
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 4 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
- 1 Glass Dry White Wine or Cider
- 11 ltr Clear Beef Stock
- Old Crusty Bread or Baguette
- 70g Emmenthal Cheese
- 70g Gruyere
- 2 tsp Chopped Parsley
Method
- 2. Pick the thyme leaves from the stalks making sure there are no woody pieces left;
- 3. Cook all the onions, in a large pot, very slowly whilst constantly moving with a wooden spoon for 10 minutes until they start to caramelize, it is very important that you do this on an extremely low heat;
- 4. When the onions are starting to take on a deep brown colour, add the thyme leaves, juniper berries and chopped garlic. Keep it all moving in the pot for a further 10 minutes until the onions have a deep brown color;
- 5. Season the onions with salt and pepper before adding the white wine. Burn the wine off before adding the beef stock and leave to cook slowly on a low heat;
- 6. Chop the parsley and set aside for a garnish later on;
- 7. Toast the baguette or crusty bread before liberally sprinkling with cheese;
- 8. Correct the seasoning of the soup to your taste after it has been cooking for 30 minutes and add the chopped parsley before removing from the heat;
- 9. Place the soup into a deep bowl making sure to add lots of onions. Place the cheesy croutons on top and place under the grill or broiler for 2 minutes until melted;
