French Onion Soup w/ Kylemore Farmhouse Cheese Croûtons au Gratin

It may appear heavy, rich and indulgent but French onion soup is not necessarily solely reserved for the colder months. Though it is remarked as being a winter warmer, this vegetal, intense soup is both a celebration of onions and also the perfect excuse to load up some crusty slices of baguette with cheese and grill it atop your soup. 

French Onion Soup w/ Kylemore Farmhouse Cheese Croutons

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 1 KG white onions, peeled and halved
  • 1L beef stock, the best you can find
  • 175ml dry white wine, we used a Chardonnay-Viognier from Laurent Miquel 
  • 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • A handful of sprigs of thyme, de-stemmed
  • 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
  • 1 baguette, sliced into rounds
  • 200g Alpine-style cheese like French Comté, Swiss Gruyère or, in Ireland, Kylemore from Galway or Templegall from Hegarty’s in Cork

Method

1. Using a food processor with a blade attachment, easily slice through all the onions in seconds to save the teary eyed terror of hand-slicing.

2. In the largest pot you have, melt 50g of butter over a medium heat and introduce the onions with 1 tbsp of fine salt. After a minute or so, stirring regularly, reduce the heat to medium-low and clamp on the lid. Allow the onions to steam and soften for 10-15 minutes, stirring once during the process.

3. Remove the lid at this stage and allow any liquid to evaporate. Give the onions another 30 minutes to an hour on a medium-low heat to soften, begin to break down and caramelise. Give them a stir every few minutes to prevent them catching. If they do begin to catch, your heat may be too high or you may need to add a little water to give them extra time. 

4. What you’re looking for is the onions to have significantly reduced in volume, turned a golden caramel colour and be concentrated and sweetened to the taste. At this stage, add in the tbsp of brown sugar, the garlic and the thyme and allow to cook out for another five minutes before deglazing with the white wine, allowing to reduce almost entirely

5. Follow with the beef stock and bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for another 30-45 minutes until reduced and thickened. Stir every so often to ensure onions aren’t catching at the bottom of the pot. Taste, season and taste again, adjusting seasoning if necessary.

6. Lightly toast the baguette rounds just to ensure they have a drier, stronger structure as you decant the soup into awaiting soup bowls. Top each soup with one or two slices (depending on size) and lavish a generous fine-grating of the cheese atop. Don’t worry if some falls into the soup, it’s positively encouraged. Place under a hot grill for a couple of minutes just until melted, then serve immediately. 

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