That 70s french onion soup

Do you remember when all restaurants in North America had French onion soup on their menu? Well I don't because I was still too young at the time but I did see the end of that fad in the 80s. And today, I've decided to revive this trend, at least at home, by cooking this very comforty soup. Here's how I did it.

First, you have to peal and cut a ton of onions (not literally, two pounds should suffice). If you're a real man and can't cry in public, ask someone to do this job for you. I mean, I'm a big man with hair all over the body and I still cried a lot today... fortunately I was still alone at home at that time.





Then, you add a bit of butter and oil to a large sauce pan (butter for flavour and oil to help the butter stand the heat; clarified butter would also do the job). Place it on your stove under a medium-high heat until your butter does not bubble anymore. At that point, you can add the onions and cook them until they caramelize and turn into a sweet brown color.



During that time you can prepare the herbs that are going to produce those wonderful undertones typical of a good onion soup: thyme and bay leaf. Simply place them in some cheese cloth so that you can easily to fish them out later on.




When your onions have caramelized, deglaze the pan with wine, brandy, water or broth (whatever suits your desire). Then, add your herb bag as well as a good quantity of beef broth. It is also the right time to season your soup. Let everything simmer for a good 45 minutes and verify seasoning.



Now you need to go in the attic to get those dusty French onion soup bowls or, alternatively, get out to buy some at your nearest second hand store. Pour your soup into the brown and beige bowls, place a few croutons on top and sprinkle with cheese (I particularly like gruyere and emmenthaler here). Pop in your oven under broil for a few minutes and eat when the cheese is still bubbling.