The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Quick French onion soup can still be flavorful
Made almost entirely of caramelized onions, beef broth, wine and cheese-topped toast, French onion soup is marvelous in its simplicity. Its short ingredient list also makes it a fine candidate for a 5:30 Challenge transformation.
The trick is to figure out how to build the sweet, toasty brown notes of the onions in a fraction of the time. Forget proper caramelization; that’s a Sunday project.
Instead, pile three bags of frozen chopped onions in a pot, along with a rind or two sliced from a block of Gruyere cheese. (You can grate the cheese in a bit, as the soup cooks.) Cover the pot and thaw the onions under a hot flame. Once their rendered liquid has begun to simmer, remove the lid and use that rendered liquid to cook the onions until tender. As the onions cook, the liquid will evaporate, leaving behind quite a bit of fond (those delicious browned bits). Next, deglaze the fond with hefty glugs of white wine, which will continue to build color and flavor. Finally, pour in a box of beef or vegetable stock, plus a bit of water and salt. Let the soup simmer while you assemble generously coated cheese toasts, which you’ll pop on top of each individual bowl of soup.
It is not traditional French onion soup, but, between the double dose of Gruyere and the rapid browning of the onions, this recipe will get you pretty darn close — and you can pull it off on a Thursday night.
1 (8-ounce) block Gruyere
cheese, with its rind 3 (12-ounce) bags frozen
chopped onions 2 tablespoons unsalted
butter, for the onions 1 cup dry white wine 1 quart unsalted beef or
vegetable broth
1 cup water
Salt and freshly ground
black pepper
4 thick slices of crusty
bread
On the side: Baby green
salad
Move an oven rack to its highest position and turn the oven setting on broil.
Slice the rinds off the Gruyere and place in a large bowl with the onions. Reserve the cheese.
In a large saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. When the butter is foamy, add the onions and the cheese rinds, cover the pot, and increase the heat to high. Let cook, covered, for 5 minutes to thaw the onions.
Remove the lid and continue to cook on high, stirring occasionally, until the liquid in the pot evaporates, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, grate 1 cup of the Gruyere. Reserve the remaining cheese for another use.
When the liquid has evaporated from the pot, add 1/2 cup of the wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Cook until the wine evaporates, about 3 to 5 minutes, then add the remaining 1/2 cup wine, again scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Cook until the second batch of wine has evaporated, about 3 to 5 minutes, then stir in the broth and water, scraping up browned bits. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let the soup come to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium, and cook another 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, set the bread slices directly on the top oven rack and toast both sides. Transfer to a baking sheet, top evenly with the cheese, then return to the oven and broil until the cheese has melted.
Divide the soup among four serving bowls, discarding the cheese rinds. Top with the cheese toast and serve hot with salad on the side. Serves 4.
Per serving: 420 calories (percent of calories from fat, 43), 16 grams protein, 34 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams fiber, 17 grams fat (9 grams saturated), 45 milligrams cholesterol, 691 milligrams sodium.