French Onion Soup

French Onion Soup is a classic for good reason. We love the rich broth and savory mellowness of caramelized onions. Topped with decadent layers of melted cheese and delicious toasted croutons, this soup hits every spot. We seasoned ours with home made roasted garlic, and Uncontrolled Chain Reaction for a deep background heat that enhances every part of the experience.

At the heart of this recipe, and worth every bit of care in preparation, are the cheesy garlic-crusted roasted croutons. Toasted to golden brown, rubbed with fresh roasted garlic, coated with rendered bacon fat, then covered in shredded gruyère and left to melt and brown under a broiler… we’d forgive you if most of these never make it into your bowl of French Onion soup… but when they do, it’s so very worth it.

As always, from our table to yours... #SpiceConfidently #EssenceOfFlavor #ChemistryInTheKitchen #CasaMSpice

— Mike Hernandez

ingredients

For The Soup

6 tablespoons (90g) unsalted butter
3 pounds (1.4kg) of onions, sliced 1/8-inch-thick
Casa M Spice Co® Chain Reaction®
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup (120ml) dry sherry (used in the video), brandy, or Cognac
2 quarts (1.8L) low-sodium chicken stock
1 teaspoon (5ml) apple cider vinegar

For the Croutons

8 bowl-size slices rustic bread
4 medium cloves roasted garlic
Rendered bacon fat
1 pound (450g) Gruyère cheese, grated
Freshly minced chives, for garnish

FEATURED QUOTE

At the heart of this recipe, and worth every bit of care in preparation, are the cheesy garlic-crusted roasted croutons.

- Mike Hernandez

LET’S GET COOKING

1.
In a large soup pot, melt butter over medium-high heat until foaming. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened (about 8 minutes).
2.
Lower heat to medium-low and cook onions, stirring frequently (about every 15 minutes or as needed to prevent burning), until onions are very sweet and a rich golden-brown color (1 to 2 hours).
Tip: If browned onions on bottom of pot threaten to burn, add 1 tablespoon (15ml) water, scrape up browned bits, and continue cooking.
3.
Once onions are golden brown, season with Chain Reaction®, salt, and pepper.
4.
Add sherry (or brandy or cognac) and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Cook until alcohol smell is mostly gone (about 3 minutes).
5.
Add stock and raise heat to medium-high, bringing to a simmer, then lower heat and simmer for 20-60 minutes, then add apple cider vinegar.
6.
Lightly toast both sides of your rustic bread slices until golden brown.
7.
While your toasted croutons are still warm, rub them with the roasted garlic cloves. Rub about 1/2 a clove of garlic into each crouton and then “butter” with the rendered bacon fat.
8.
Preheat your broiler and adjust the oven rack to the top position. Toast the seasoned buttered croutons under a broiler until golden and bubbly.
9.
Remove from the broiler and add gruyère cheese to the top.
10.
Put the croutons back under the broiler until the cheese is melted and browned in spots.
11.
Place once crouton in the bottom of each of four (4) oven-safe bowls and ladle soup over the top of the crouton to nearly fill the bowl. Place a second crouton on top of the soup and push it down to nearly submerge it in the soup. If you don’t desire to have a massive melty cheese layer on top, you’re done with this step and you can skip to the garnish step (but we should seriously talk about getting you some therapy).
12.
If you want that traditional cheesy browned layer on top, add grated gruyère all over the top of each bowl and place back into the broiler (I do so on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet to minimize the mess) and broil until the cheese is melted and browned in places.
13.
Garnish with chives and serve.