French Onion Soup
2010 Warrick Red Reserve The 2010 Warrick Red Reserve is a blend of Tempranillo, Zinfandel and Malbec, aged 30 months in French oak casks.
2011 Warrick Red Reserve A full-bodied blend of Syrah, Malbec, and Merlot. The 2011 Warrick Red Reserve is a complex, age-worthy wine that spent 30 months in the small French oak casks.
Ingredients
- 5 -6 cups yellow onions, thinly sliced ( about 1 1/2 to 2 lbs)
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 6 cups beef stock ( preferably homemade)
- 1 cup wine ( dry red or white)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon ground sage
- salt and pepper
- 12 ounces swiss cheese, grated
- 4 ounces parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/2 raw yellow onion
- 2 -3 tablespoons cognac
- 8 slices French bread ( about 1 inch thick)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, for drizzling
Directions
- Place heavy bottom stock pot or dutch over over medium-low heat.
- Add 1 Tbs cooking oil, 2Tbs butter to pot.
- Add sliced onions and stir until they are evenly coated with the oil.
- Cover and cook for about 20 minutes until they are very tender and translucent.
- To brown or caramelize the onions turn heat under pot to medium or medium high heat.
- Add 1/2 tsp sugar and 1 tsp salt and continue to cook uncovered, stirring frequently until the onions have browned and reduced significantly.
- Once caramelized, reduce heat to medium-low and add 3 Tbs flour to the onions.
- Brown the flour for about 2-3 minutes trying not to scorch it. (If the flour does not form a thick paste, you can add a bit more butter here).
- Stir in about 1 cup of warm stock, scraping the bottom of the pan to get up all of the cooked-on bits.
- Add the rest of the stock, wine, sage, and bay leaf to the soup.
- Simmer for 30 minutes.
- To make the “croutes” (toasted bread), heat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Drizzle each side of the bread slices with a bit of olive oil and place on baking sheet.
- Cook the croutes for 15 minutes in oven on each side (30 minutes total).
- Check the soup for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.
- Remove the bay leaf (if you can find it).
- Transfer to a casserole dish.
- At this point you can add the 2-3 Tbs cognac and grate the 1/2 raw onion into the soup.
- Add a few ounces of the swiss cheese directly into the soup and stir.
- Place the toasted bread in a single layer on top of the soup.
- Sprinkle the rest of the cheese in a thick layer on top of the bread making sure to cover the edges of the toast to prevent burning.
- Drizzle with a little oil or melted butter.
- Place in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.
- Turn on broiler and brown cheese well.
- Let cool for a few minutes.