A small labour of love, this soup will need a few hours of cooking time to reach its full potential.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
For the soup
⅖ cup (100g) butter + extra for the bread
1.5 kg (about 7) brown onions, thinly sliced
4 large cloves garlic, grated
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
4 sprigs thyme + extra for topping
3 Tbsp flour
Salt and milled pepper
1 cup dry white wine
6 cups good quality beef stock
For the toast
1 French baguette
Softened butter
100g Gruyère or Gouda, grated
Method
- Add butter to a large, wide pot over medium-low heat.
- Once melted, add the onions and stir well to coat in the butter.
- For the next 50-60 minutes, caramelise the onions by stirring every 5-8 minutes, keeping the heat low to not burn them. They will slowly soften, turning golden brown towards the end of the 60 minutes.
- Once golden and silky, add the garlic, balsamic vinegar, thyme, flour and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper. Stir again to disperse the flour evenly throughout, then simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Add the wine to deglaze, stirring to remove all the flavourful bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.
- Add the stock and stir, then bring soup to a gentle simmer and cook until deep brown and thickened slightly, about 40 minutes. Season.
- Cut baguette into diagonal slices, then lather with butter and top with grated cheese.
- Toast under a hot grill until cheese is slightly charred and bubbling.
- Serve soup in bowls topped with cheesy toasts.
Good to know
The quality of stock you use will create a truly warming, full-bodied soup. Using a premium liquid stock or even beef broth will set it apart from cheaper stocks.
Recipe & styling: Sjaan van der Ploeg
Photographs: Zhann Solomons
Also read: French mother sauces you should know
