French Onion Soup with Gruyere Crote

Recently I have been taking cooking classes at an area cooking school run by Chef Alice Colin. The classes I have taken so far include: Thai, Indian, French Bistro, Tapas, Global Appetizers/Hors'd oeuvres & Caribbean! I'm even scheduled to take the Southeast Asian next month! This is something I do as a "Girls Night Out" with my friends and we enjoy it immensely! I learn something new every time I attend; cultural tidbits from the area of study, introducing new spices into my dishes for unique flavor combinations, and proper knife skills. The class usually lasts about 3-4 hours. You prepare a full course meal from start to finish usually four courses, which ends with a sit down dinner to enjoy what you've prepared.

If you are interested in checking out her classes visit her website: http://www.chefalicecooking.com/

The most recent class I attended was the "French Bistro" class where I finally learned how to make better than restaurant quality ~ French Onion Soup! After going over the proper way to chop an onion we moved onto carmelizing the onions to avoid that rubber taste found in most restaurants. *FUN FACT: French Onion soup should NOT be served with Mozzarella, Provolone or anything but Gruyere Cheese!* If a restaurant is serving it with one of these other cheeses, they are just trying to save a buck! The cheese should not be a stringy mass lump that has to be held up by soggy roll! Try this recipe and tell me what you think?! I would love to hear your thoughts after preparing it the way it was meant to be enjoyed!

French Onion Soup with Gruyere Croute

Serves 8

1 stick unsalted butter

4 lbs 6-7 large) yellow onions, halved, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick

2 bay leaves

6 fresh thyme sprigs tied with kitchen string

½ teaspoon Kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste

1 cup dry white wine

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

5 cups beef broth

3 cups chicken broth

1/3 cup sherry

½ day-old baguette, sliced ¼ inch thick

4 ounces (1/2 cup) grated Gruyere

Melt the stick of butter in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper and cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized, 25-30 minutes. Add the sherry and bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the wine has evaporated and the onions are almost dry, about 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs.

Add the flour and stir. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes to eliminate the raw flour taste. Add the beef broth, chicken broth; bring the soup back to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes. Stir in sherry. Season to taste, with a generous amount salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Preheat the broiler. Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet in a single layer and toast on each side until just golden brown; watch carefully to prevent burning; about two minutes. (May be done two days ahead.)

Ladle the soup in ovenproof crocks, ramekins or coffee cups and float two croutes on top. With the tip of your finger. Cover the croutes with Gruyere covering the entire top of crock as much as possible. Place back in the oven on the sheet pan and broil until cheese is melted and golden, watching carefully. Place each crocks on a plate. Alert your guests the crock and soup will be very hot.

NOTE: Depending on the brand of broth used, you may end up using more salt. If the broth tastes weak, you can reduce it a bit by boiling in a saucepan until reduced by one third.

Recipe By: Chef Alice Colin of Chef Alice Cooking Classes & Catering - http://www.chefalicecooking.com/

THANK YOU to Chef Alice for permission to share this recipe on my blog!

Click or copy & paste link into your browser to for a printable version of this recipe:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/72271875/French-Onion-Soup-With-Gruyere-Croute