Onion Soup With Gruyère Croutons Food

ONE-POT FRENCH ONION SOUP WITH GARLIC-GRUYèRE CROUTONS

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a 6-quart Dutch oven over high heat. Add the oxtail (or beef shoulder) in a single layer (work in batches, if necessary to avoid crowding the pan), and sear until the undersides are brown (do not turn). Season generously with salt and transfer to a plate.
• Coarsely chop two of the onions; add to the pot, along with the celery, carrots, bay leaves and thyme. Lower heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft and beginning to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Return the beef to the pot. Pour in 8 cups water. Simmer mixture gently until the meat is very tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
• Transfer beef to a bowl to cool for another use. Strain liquid into a bowl over a fine-mesh sieve; press gently on the solids with the back of a spatula to extract as much flavor as possible. Discard the solids; you should have about 10 cups broth (add water if necessary to equal 10 cups).
• Halve the remaining 6 onions through the root end, then peel and thinly slice them lengthwise. Melt the butter in the bottom of the Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, tossing occasionally, until deep golden-brown and caramelized, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Pour in the port and cook, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, for 3 minutes. Pour in the broth and simmer mixture over low heat for 30 minutes. Season with salt and lemon juice, if desired. (For a smaller group, you could refrigerate some of the soup and reheat it later.)
• While the broth simmers, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet and toast until golden, about 12 minutes. Rub the garlic halves over the surface of the bread.
• Heat the broiler and arrange a rack 4 to 6 inches from the flame. Using a cheese slicer, thinly slice 3 ounces of Gruyère. Coarsely grate the remaining cheese. Float the broiled bread over the surface of the hot soup. Layer the cheese slices over the bread; scatter the grated cheese over it. Transfer the Dutch oven to the oven and broil until cheese is golden and bubbling, 3 to 5 minutes (watch to see that it does not burn).
• To serve, use kitchen shears or scissors to cut the bread and cheese into portions. Ladle soup, bread and cheese into individual bowls.

ONION SOUP WITH GRUYèRE CROUTONS

Steps:

• Heat a large saucepan over a high heat, add the butter and melt without browning. Add the onions and fry gently for five minutes, stirring frequently. Season with half a teaspoon of salt and a couple of pinches of pepper.
• Continue to cook the onions over a medium heat for 20-30 minutes, or until they are an even, rich brown caramel colour. Stir every 2-3 minutes so they don't burn. Be patient! It will take about 20 minutes to get the onions to the colour that will give the best flavour to the soup. Once cooked, stir the flour into the caramelised onions and mix well.
• Stir in 200ml/7fl oz stock and whisk well to create a thick sauce and scrape up any tasty sticky bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining stock, whisking as you add and bring to the boil, skimming off any foam on the surface. Then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper as necessary.
• Meanwhile, heat the grill to hot. Arrange the sliced baguette on a baking tray and sprinkle two-thirds of the grated cheese over them. Place under the hot grill for 3-4 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned.
• Serve the hot soup in bowl with the Gruyère croutons floating on top. Sprinkle over the remaining gruyere and serve immediately.

TOMATO SOUP WITH ROASTED PEPPERS, GARLIC AND ONIONS WITH GRUYERE GRILLED CHEESE CROUTONS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• For the soup:
• Place the onions on a baking sheet and dress lightly with EVOO, and season liberally with the thyme and salt and pepper. Dress the garlic with EVOO, salt and pepper, and then wrap the garlic in foil and fold edges over to secure a pouch. Roast the onions until tender and golden, 30 minutes, turning once. Roast the garlic until very soft, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Char the peppers over an open flame on the stovetop or under a hot broiler (once the onions and garlic are removed). Place the charred peppers in a bowl, cover and cool to handle. Wipe away the pepper skins with a towel. Seed and coarsely chop.
• Cool the garlic to handle, and then squeeze the garlic cloves away from the skins and into a food processor bowl. In two batches, add the onions, garlic, peppers, stock and tomatoes. Puree until fairly smooth. Add the puree to a pot with the passata and season with the herbes de Provence and add the torn basil. Heat the soup through and simmer to thicken a little and combine flavors, about 20 minutes. Adjust the salt and pepper. Cool and refrigerate for a make-ahead meal.
• For the grilled cheese croutons:
• To serve, heat the soup over medium heat and preheat a griddle pan over medium heat. Butter all the bread on one side with the softened butter. Make the cheese sandwiches with the buttered sides facing out. Grill the sandwiches until golden and crisp on each side. Dice into bite-size squares. Serve the soup in shallow bowls and top each with a few grilled cheese croutons.

FRENCH ONION DIP SOUP WITH DIJON AND GRUYERE CROUTONS

Steps:

• Heat a soup pot over medium heat; add the butter and melt. When the butter foams, add the onions, leeks, shallots, garlic, bay leaf, thyme and salt and pepper. Partially cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, about 35 minutes. Deglaze the pot with sherry, then add the Worcestershire and stock. Taste for seasoning when it comes to a bubble. Cool and store for a make-ahead meal.
• Heat the soup and creme fraiche over medium heat until bubbly and thickened a bit. Toast the bread on the middle rack under the broiler; remove and top one side with the mustard and cheese. Return to the oven to melt the cheese.
• Serve the soup in shallow bowls, topped with scallions and cheesy croutons.

FRENCH ONION SOUP WITH CHEESE CROUTONS

Steps:

• In a large stockpot on medium-high heat, saute the onions with the butter and bay leaf for 20 minutes, until the onions turn a rich golden brown color. Deglaze the pan with the sherry and brandy and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Add the white wine and simmer uncovered for 15 more minutes.
• Add the beef and chicken stocks plus salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, taste for salt and pepper.
• *For the croutons*.
• While the soup simmers, arrange the baguette slices in single layer on baking sheet and bake in a 400-degree oven until the bread is dry, crisp, and golden at edges, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
• *To serve*.
• Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Set individual broiler-safe crocks on baking sheet and fill each with about 1 3/4 cups soup. Top each bowl with 1 or 2 baguette slices (do not overlap slices) and sprinkle evenly with Gruyère. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly around edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

FIVE-ONION SOUP WITH SCALLION AND GRUYERE CROUTONS

Steps:

• In a large stockpot, saute the five onions, garlic, and a heavy pinch of salt in 2 tbsp oil until the onions are carmelized. Deglaze with the wine. Add thyme and stock to the pot. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer for about an hour. Adjust seasoning as needed, and remove the thyme stems.
• Shortly before the soup is finished, preheat the broiler. Mix a generous amount of the scallion greens with the cheese. Coat the bread coins with the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil, and place on the broiler pan. Top each coin with some of the cheese mixture. Bake in the middle of the broiler for about 3 minutes to melt the cheese, then move them closer to the broiler element to get the cheese brown and bubbly.
• Ladle the soup into a bowl, and top with several Gruyere croutons. Allow them to rest a bit, to soak up some of the soup, before eating.

PANERA FIVE ONION SOUP WITH SCALLION AND GRUYERE CROUTONS

Steps:

• In a 12-quart stockpot, sauté the onions, shallots, leeks, scallion whites, garlic and a heavy pinch of salt in 2 tablespoons oil until the onions begin to caramelize. Deglaze with red wine. Add the thyme and stock to the pot. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for at least 1 hour. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
• While the soup is simmering, preheat the oven to broil. Toss the bread coins with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and place flat on a sheet pan. Toss the scallion greens with the Gruyere, and top each coin with the mixture. Bake on a rack in the middle of the oven for 3 minutes and then transfer to the broiler to lightly brown the tops. The cheese should be bubbly. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with croutons.