French Onion Soup
Tasty Baked French Onion Soup Recipe
This delicious French onion soup is made with white onion and fresh garlic. Onion powder and crushed garlic are used to intensify these flavors and beef broth gives a rich, meaty flavor to this dish. This French onion soup recipe contains all the classic flavors and all the ingredients bring out the best in each other.
The croutons in this baked French onion soup recipe are baked in the oven, the soup cooks on the stove, and everything is broiled at the end so the soup stays warm, the croutons stay crispy, and the cheese becomes golden brown and bubbly. You can leave this French onion soup to rest for five minutes before serving it or just serve it bubbling and piping hot so everybody gets the full benefit of the wonderful aroma.
This is a classic French onion soup recipe and if you like onion soup you are going to love this first-rate recipe. You can alter the cheese if you want, using mozzarella or emmental for a change. French onion soup is usually made with Gruyere but this is not a hard and fast rule if it is not your favorite cheese. The parmesan cheese in the topping is salty, so remember that when you season the soup and take care not to add too much salt.
Ultimate Baked French Onion Soup Recipe
Ingredients -
9 cups beef broth
6 white onions
4 tablespoons olive oil
5 cloves garlic, finely minced
Pinch of ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon onion powder
8 slices provolone or gruyere cheese
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 French baguette, cut into 8 diagonal slices
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Slice the white onions thinly, then sauté them in the oil over a medium heat until they are translucent but not browned.
Add the minced garlic cloves, sautéing them with the onions but without browning them.
Bake the baguette slices until they are golden, and then set them to one side.
Stir the seasonings and beef broth into the onion and garlic mixture and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down and let the French onion soup simmer for about 35 minutes.
Taste it and add salt and pepper if necessary. Ladle the soup into ovenproof soup crocks and float a slice of toasted bread on top of each one.
Add the cheese and broil the soup for about 6 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown in places and bubbly.
Serve with extra parmesan on the side.
(Serves 8)
Photo Description:
This classic French soup recipe looks elegant served in a plain white soup crock, as you can see from the photo. This flavorful onion soup is carefully topped with bread and grated cheese. Rather than being allowed to melt and run down the sides of the bowl, which is encouraged with some French onion soup recipes, the topping on this one is more restrained and it is this classic elegance, which is associated with French dishes. A sprig of parsley on top is a tasteful garnish and this dish is something that would be perfect for any dinner party or special occasion, as well as a nice family supper.
Using White Onions to Make Onion Soup
You can use any kind of onions in a baked French onion soup recipe. Perhaps you prefer the sweetness of Vidalia onions, the juiciness of yellow onions, the piquancy of red onions or the classic flavor of white onions.
If you enjoy making easy French onion soup, it can be fun to try a variety of onion soup recipes to find out, which you prefer. Not all onion varieties are available throughout the year so it might be a case of using what you can buy and substituting one kind for another if, you want to follow a particular onion soup recipe. White onions are available all year round however.
There are no onions, which are bad for making onion soup, so whatever you can get should have good results, even if the onion flavor in the soup is a touch sweeter or slightly bolder than anticipated.
Choosing the Best White Onions
White onions should be mold, blemish free, firm, and have very dry, even colored skin. They keep well in a dark, dry place with adequate ventilation. Do not keep them in the refrigerator unless you want everything in there to smell and taste of onions!
White onions are healthy. They are a good source of manganese, vitamin C, vitamin B6, fiber, potassium, and folate, while being very low in sodium, cholesterol, and saturated fat.
A baked French onion soup recipe with white onions makes a delicious appetizer. White onions have white skins and a mild but slightly sweet flavor. You can caramelize white onions the same way you caramelize other onion varieties, they can achieve the same dark brown color, and the same rich flavor.
Other White Onions Recipes
White onions are often used in Mexican recipes as well as a baked French onion soup recipe, and they can be used to make salads too. Because of the tangy, clean taste associated with white onions, they are often used in spicy or herbed dishes.
Chinese recipes often call for white onions because they can add a sweet and sour taste to dishes and they also bring out the best flavor in a sweet and sour sauce, especially when cooked only to al dente. The crunch of white onion is beautiful in many Asian dishes.
This type of onion is sometimes used raw, in pasta salads, sandwiches, potato salads or as a topping for hamburgers. They are also nice sautéed or added to poultry, beef, or pork dishes, grilled on shish kabobs or added to stews and casseroles.
White onions might taste milder than yellow onions because of their higher water content but they are still high in sulfur, meaning you might want to find those swimming goggles again, to stop the tears when you start to peel them!