French Onion Soup

Recipe for: French ONION Soup 

Ingredients: 

• 100g butter
• 1.5 kg large onions, sliced
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• 100ml dry vermouth
• 1.5 litres good beef stock
• 2 bay leaves

Method: 

1. melt the butter in a large pan & stir in the onions
2. cover & leave to cook gently on a low light, for about 30 minutes, until the onions are very tender, stirring occasionally
3. remove the lid, stir in the sugar, raise the heat
4. stirring now & then, continue simmering the onions until the liquid has almost gone
5. keep cooking & stirring to stop the onions catching on the base of the pan, until the onions are a deep golden brown
6. add the vermouth & boil it off – just a few minutes
7. pour in the stock & add the bay leaves, salt & pepper
8. simmer , partly covered, for another 20-30 minutes

What else you need to know: 

1. serve in deep bowls, covered with a slice of baguette or crusty bread, sprinkled with grated Gruyere cheese – put the bowls under a hot grill to melt the cheese
2. you need to be patient with cooking down the onions slowly, and getting a brown, caramelised effect before adding the other ingredients