Ultimate French Onion Soup (Alex Gallegos/for The Gazette)

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I have been working on a recipe for French Onion Soup at home for several years now.

After several variations, I think I’ve arrived at one that meets my requirements, which are a deep, well-developed caramelized onion flavor and a lip-smackingly good beef stock. In the past I’ve had caramelized the onions, but then ended up with a stock that tastes far too sweet for my liking — more like candy than a satisfying meal.

In coming up with this recipe, I’ve committed what some French cooking purists might consider sacrilege. But I think the tradeoffs in time, effort and attention are worth it.

The first thing purists might find objectionable is the change to the stock. Instead of roasting bones and then simmering stock on the stovetop for hours, I am starting with pre-made stock that is then enhanced by adding ground beef and beef bones and pressure cooking them. Once strained and cooled, this is ready to use later — and the beef fat that cools and hardens at the top is what we’ll use to start the onions to ensure that savory beef flavor stays in the pot.

The second act of sacrilege is preparing my own croutons and using them to top the soup instead of a large baguette slice. This is much easier to eat, not requiring you to try to cut the crusty bread with the side of a spoon. And you can top the croutons with the provolone and gruyere and broil them separately, then float your bread and cheese raft into the bowl of soup once it’s served.

If you have the storage space and the inclination to buy those individual ramekins that get used solely for a single type of soup and broil them with the cheese on top, go right ahead, but this works perfectly for me and my kitchen.

Recipe

Ultimate French Onion Soup

Prep time: 2 hours

Cook time: 2 hours

Serves 8

Ingredients

Stock

3 (32-ounce) containers beef stock

2 pounds 90/10 ground beef

1 pound beef bones (2 medium sized bones per batch of stock)

Croutons

8 slices sourdough bread, cubed

4 tablespoons avocado oil

Salt and pepper

Onions

5 pounds white or yellow onions, sliced extremely thin on a mandoline if available

2 shallots

1 tablespoon salt

1 stick butter

1/4 cup water

Soup

2 cloves minced garlic

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2/3 cup dry white wine or dry vermouth

2 tablespoons ramen broth concentrate

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons brandy

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons additional salt or to taste

1/2 teaspoon additional pepper or to taste

12 ounces gruyére cheese grated

16 slices provolone cheese

Directions

Stock

Break up beef in bottom of pressure cooker. Add bones and packaged stock and pressure cook on high for 2 hours. Strain and refrigerate. When cool, remove solidified fat and retain.

Croutons

Toss bread cubes in avocado oil, season with a sprinkling of salt and pepper, and toast in a 200° oven for 30 to 40 minutes until crispy and lightly browned but still slightly pliable.

Onions

In a 5 to 6 quart pot with a heavy bottom, heat the retained beef fat from chilled stock on medium-high heat. Add the onions and toss to coat with the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, add the water and place the stick of butter on top. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Uncover. Cook over high heat scraping the bottom for 5 minutes, then turn the heat to medium-high. Stir continuously for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring and deglazing with water, an additional 1/4 cup at a time, every 3 to 5 minutes to prevent burning. When onions are a deep brown, you are ready to continue building the soup.

Soup

Add garlic, thyme and pepper to onions. Stir and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the white wine, ramen concentrate and Worcestershire. Deglaze with this liquid once more. Then, add the beef stock you made earlier and the bay leaves. Bring to boil and simmer 20 minutes.

Finish with brandy and apple cider vinegar. Stir to combine. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper to your liking.

Arrange croutons on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper to fit under 2 slices of provolone. Top with gruyere. Broil 3 minutes until melted. Drop into bowls of soup and serve.

Source: Alex Gallegos

Finally, I’ve used some concentrated ramen broth — just a little — to add an extra hit of umami. This is absolutely not standard in any way, but it adds a real depth and body that can’t be replicated any other way. You can find it in the Asian section of most grocery stores, or if yours doesn’t have it, it’s sold online. You only need a little, and a bottle of it will last you forever.

It’s been extra cold lately, so a nice bowl of soup always warms the soul. This one requires a lot of time and attention, but the results speak for themselves.

Alex Gallegos is an enthusiastic home cook who enjoys trying new recipes and learning new techniques. Find this recipe and others like it at PlatefulsOfFlavors.com.