Bistro French Onion Soup

We love soup season, and this cozy soup is the ultimate comfort food. Adding honey to the onions as they caramelize not only speeds up the process a little, it also lends the perfect amount of sweetness to balance the saltiness of the broth and Gruyère cheese.

Bistro French Onion Soup
(honey caramelized onions + cheesy sourdough toast)
Serves 6
    
What you need:
¼ cup salted butter
6 yellow or Vidalia onions, halved and thinly sliced
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup Savannah Bee Company Honey, (We used Wildflower Honey) 
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon dry sherry
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 cups beef broth
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 (1-inch) Parmesan cheese rind
½ (8-ounce) French baguette, sliced
8 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated
Fresh parsley sprigs for garnish (optional)

What to do:

1. Wash Up!

2. Caramelize the onions: Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the onions, salt, honey, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the onions are tender and deep golden brown, about 30 to 45 minutes. (The more caramelized the onions get, the more often you’ll need to stir, making sure to scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.)

3. Make the soup: Add the wine and sherry and scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook until almost all of the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. (The onions should be jammy in texture.) Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for one minute. Add the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Add the Parmesan cheese rind. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes.

4. Finish the soup: Preheat the oven to 450°F. Remove the bay leaves and cheese rind from the soup. Spoon the soup into serving bowls and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Place the baguette slices on top of each bowl and sprinkle with cheese. Bake until the cheese is lightly browned and bubbling, about 10 minutes.

To Serve: Garnish the soup with parsley and serve.

Pro Tip: Prevent tears from cutting the onions by making sure your knife is as sharp as possible.

Table Talk:  Do you have a recipe you’re known for? What is it?

happy bees. happy earth.