Full Flavor French Onion Soup Recipe

We have another tasty recipe for you - in fact this one is so powerfully tasty, we call it Full Flavor French Onion Soup! 

This is the soup that eats like a meal!  Rich broth and complex textures will satisfy your hunger and possibly be enough all on its own for dinner or lunch.

Full Flavor French Onion Soup

I often came away disappointed when I went to a restaurant, ordered the French Onion Soup and got a sad, pale version of it put in front of me.  You know the kind where the paltry amount of (probably the wrong) cheese sits limp in the middle of the bowl?  And the soup broth is watered down?  Maybe they didn't want to fill me up before the main course, but I'll tell you, that a true French Onion soup is rich with soft onion parts, the broth is bursting with flavor and the thick waves of cheese (gruyere of course) alternates between being chewy and crispy, with the best parts attached to the OUTSIDE of the bowl.

Making it right does take time.  Getting the flavor intensity up means the soup has to sit a while.  Well, now you can enjoy this winter favorite anytime thanks to The Burger Master.

Let's get started.  You will need:

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tbsp butter
• 1 large onion (Spanish or white), chopped thick
• 1 portobello mushroom, chopped thick (this is optional.  Not traditional, but this adds both flavor and texture)
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 splashes of Port wine (i.e. 2-3 shots)
• 2 tsp dried herbs (oregano, thyme, rosemary and bay leaf make a nice mix)
• 2 pinches Black pepper 
• 6 cups beef stock
• 1 slice of dark rye bread per bowl of soup
• 6-8 slices of Gruyere cheese per bowl of soup.  Each slice is about 10 grams.
• Parsley for garnish

Directions

1. Melt butter at a very low heat in a large pot.
2. Chop the onion and mushroom in thick slices.  Don't worry about the length of the slices as they will soften and shrink.  Crush and mince the garlic finely.
3. Add the chopped onion, mushroom and garlic to the pot, then cover.  Ensure the heat is at minimum!  The key here is not to burn the onions, we want to caramelize them.  This will take at least 2 hours.  The result is worth it.  We want them to be soft, not fried.  Stir the pot every 30 minutes or so. Splash in the port and add some pepper.
4. Once the onions are soft, add the beef stock and the dried herbs.
5. Bring to a boil on high heat and then turn the heat down to a low simmer, stirring occasionally.  At this point, if you are in a hurry, you can go to the next step, but ideally, you will let this simmer for another hour or 2 to let the flavor absorb into the liquid.
6. Next, prep the oven at 350 F.
7. Fill an oven safe bowl (ideally a French Onion Soup bowl!) with the broth and place a slice of bread over it.  The cheese placement is strategic - hang slices over the edge of the bowl so they melt over the outside.  You can also grate some and place it in the center if you'd like an extra thick layer.
8. Place bowl(s) in the oven on a baking sheet and set to broil (550 F).  Keep a close eye to ensure any bread sticking out of the soup doesn't burn. When the cheese is melted and starts to bubble, it's ready.
9. Garnish and enjoy!

This recipe makes 4 bowls of broth.  Store leftovers in the Burger Master!  Each Burger Master holds 2 2/3 cups of soup. 

If you double or triple the ingredients listed here, you can make several batches and conveniently freeze them for next time.  So you will always have luxurious full flavor broth ready to go, perfectly portioned!