Tweak traditional French onion soup with hard apple cider

By Jim Bailey
theyankeechef.blogspot.com

Traditionally made with either vermouth, dry red or white wine, French onion soup is a great meal when made with plenty of onions that have been caramelized. I say caramelized because I believe the natural sugars come out somewhat when cooking onions as directed below, but truthfully the onions are browned. The sugar you taste is what you add rather than what is cooked out of the onion. I neglected the alcohol because I simply don’t think it adds much value to this recipe as much as hard apple cider. So you don’t think a Yankee Chef can concoct a traditionally high-end French soup without showcasing vermouth? Think again!

French onion soup with apple cider.

2 pounds onions, halved and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons flour
5 (15-ounce) cans beef broth
¼ cup hard apple cider
10 slices French bread, toasted well
2 cups shredded Swiss or Monterey Jack cheese*

In a large kettle or heavy pot, add butter and oil over medium low heat until butter has melted. Add the onions and stir until all onions are coated. Cook, covered, for 15 minutes or until the onions are softened but not mush. Remove lid and add brown sugar. Raise heat to medium-high and caramelize the onions for 10 minutes, or until the onions have browned and have reduced significantly. You will need to stir quite often during caramelization but don’t worry if there are pieces stuck to the bottom of the pot. These will come up shortly.
Reduce heat to medium-low again and stir in the flour until well mixed. Keep stirring for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the flour has taken on a brownish color. If it is too thick, add a tablespoon or two of beef broth, stirring to prevent lumps. Stir in the hard cider, trying to ‘pick up’ the burnt onions that have collected on the bottom of the pot. Add the beef broth, stir to combine and cover.

Cook an additional 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 400-degrees F. Ladle soup into 10 oven-proof bowls and top each with the toasted bread. Sprinkle cheese on top of each slice and place on a large baking pan, putting the bowls back into the oven for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. You can also place the bowls under a broiler, at least 3 inches from heat source, until the cheese has melted and browned.

If you don’t have oven-proof bowls, sprinkle the cheese onto each slice of toast and bake (or broil) until the cheese has melted and top each bowl of hot soup with the cheese toast.

*about 8 ounces, or use slices

Schiffer Books of Pennsylvania has released Jim Bailey’s new book The Yankee Chef: Feel Good Food for Every Kitchen. It contains more than 550 traditional New England comfort-food recipes tweaked for today’s palates with hundreds of kitchen tips and food facts. The hardback book is 312 pages and contains 200 color images. Its ISBN is 978-0-7643-4191-5 and the cost is $34.99. The book can be ordered through Misty Valley Books, 802-875-3400.