No-Stock French Onion Soup

Good French onion soup should be made with little more than water, onions, bread, and cheese. Using chicken or beef stock in such a peasant dish not only betrays the soup’s economical roots but also muddles the soup’s pure onion flavor.

Ingredients

1Tbsp

Butter

18cups

Onionsup to 8 lbs

to taste

Kosher Salt

to taste

Ground Black Pepper

6slices

Country White Bread

1/3cup

Sherry Wine

1Tbsp

Red Wine Vinegaror White Wine Vinegar or White Balsamic Vinegaroptional

1Tbsp

Red Wineoptional

2cups

Gruyère Cheese, gratedup to 3/4 lbsor Comte Cheese

6cups

Water

Nutrition Per Serving

Calories

378

Fat

14.7 g

Protein

16.3 g

Carbs

43.9 g

Cooking Instructions

step 1

Prepare two large bowls — one for the scraps and one for the Onions (18 cups). A bench scraper is nice to have close by, too. Start by trimming off the ends of each onion, collecting scraps in one of the bowls as you go.

step 2

Next, score the outside layer of each onion.

step 3

Then use your knife to peel away the skin.

step 4

Cut each onion in half.

step 5

Slice the onions thinly making cuts perpendicular to the rings.

step 6

Place a large pot (7 to 8 quarts) over medium heat and melt the Butter (1 Tbsp). Add onions, and sprinkle generously with Kosher Salt (to taste). Cover, and cook until the onions have heated through and started to steam.

step 7

Uncover, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally. I cooked mine for about 3 hours at low to medium-low heat. Season with several grinds of Ground Black Pepper (to taste).

step 8

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C). Place the Country White Bread (6 slices) in the oven and let dry completely. You can leave the slices in the oven for a few hours, as the heat is not high enough to burn them.

step 9

When the onions have completely cooked down, the water has cooked off, and the onions have turned amber, add Water (6 cups). Raise the heat to high and bring the soup to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low.

step 10

Add the Sherry Wine (1/3 cup). Taste and season with Kosher Salt (to taste) and Ground Black Pepper (to taste) as needed. If the soup is too sweet, add the Red Wine Vinegar (1 Tbsp). If you would like a little more depth, add a splash of Red Wine (1 Tbsp).

step 11

Preheat the broiler.

step 12

Portion the soup into bowls, top with a slice of bread, cover with Gruyère Cheese (2 cups). Broil until cheese is melted and nicely browned. Serve immediately.