French Onion Soup (Tyler Florence Recipe)

Okay so the last couple of days have been C-O-L-D.  Nothing feels better on cold day than a big bowl of hot soup.  I have my own french onion soup recipe but it's pretty basic and I decided to search online for a new one.  I stumbled upon this one on the food network website and it sounded easy enough.  I made few changes and listed them at the bottom of the recipe, however I have posted the recipe in it's original form.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 C butter
4 onions sliced (preferably with a mandolin)
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 fresh thyme sprigs
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 C red wine
3 heaping T flour
2 Quarts beef broth
1 baguette, sliced
1/2 pound grated Grueyere (or I used 1 slice provolone for each soup bowl)

SEE RECIPE AT BOTTOM:

caramelize onion with thyme, bay, salt, pepper and butter

Add the wine and cook until reduced

remove bay leaves and thyme

I prefer to toast the bread first

I then add the toasted bread into the soup

And then I top with slices of cheese

Mmmmmm

 

RECIPE

• Melt the stick of butter in a large pot over medium high heat.  Add the onions garlic, bay leaves, thyme and salt and pepper and cook until the onions are soft and caramelized, about 25 minutes.
• Add the wine, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the wine has evaporated and onions are just about dry, about 5 minutes.  Discard bay leaves and thyme sprigs.
• Dust the onions with the flour and stir.  Turn heat to medium low and cook for 10 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. 
• Add the beef broth, bring the soup back to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.  Season, to taste with salt and pepper.

When you are ready to eat, preheat the broiler.  Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet in a single layer.  Sprinkle the slices with the Gruyere and broil until bubbly and golden brown, 3-5 minutes.

Ladle the soup in bowls and float the Gruyere croutons on top.

Alternative method:  Ladle the soup into bowls, top each with two slices bread and top with cheese.  Put bowls in oven to toast bread and melt cheese.

CHANGES I MADE

• I used provolone cheese because that is what I had on hand
• I toast the bread on baking sheet at 400 for about 5 minutes prior to putting in soup
• After I add the toasted bread and top with cheese, I bake at 400 for about 5-10 minutes until cheese is melty and starting to turn a golden brown.
• At the very end, just before serving I add a bit of freshly ground pepper to the top of the cheese
• I serve with additional toasted bread for dipping