French Onion Soup (Vermont Style)

This week while talking about planning meals (something Matt and I always talk about but hardly ever actually do) Matt said, "I think we should make French Onion Soup". I knew this meant, "I would like to eat French Onion Soup but you should make it". And I say that with absolutely no hard feelings-- I thought making French Onion Soup would be fun since it is one of our favorite things to get in restaurants (with Caesar salad, which I made to go along with the soup!)

The reason I titled this recipe French Onion Soup (Vermont Style) is because I made two large differences in the recipe: 1. I used mostly local white and red onions and 2. I used Hunter's (super de duper sharp) Cabot Cheddar Cheese.

I looked through two of my cookbooks for the best French Onion Soup recipe and then looked online and used a combination of three recipes to make this soup. I'll post my recipe below.

French Onion Soup (Vermont Style)

4 large yellow onions

2 red onions

1 tbs. olive oil

1 tbs. butter

salt and pepper

1/2 c. dry sherry

1.5 c. water

1 Quart brown beef stock

1 bay leaf

6 sprigs fresh thyme, tied with kitchen twine

6 tbs. butter

6 slices day old baguette

Cabot Hunter's Cheddar Cheese (grated)

Place the oven rack in the lowest spot and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Thinly slice the onions from pole to pole (I used a mandoline slicer) and place in a large stock pot. (It is going to look like a huge amount of onions but it will reduce a lot!) Add the olive oil, butter, and salt and pepper. Cook the onions, in the stock pot without a cover, in the oven for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. 

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Using potholders move the stockpot to the stovetop and cook over medium high heat for another 15 minutes. Onions should become quite brown. Stir often and scrape the sides and bottom of the stockpot. 

Deglaze the bottom of the pan by adding the water and sherry. Simmer until the fond reduces by half. Add the beef stock, bay leaf, and thyme. Simmer.

In a skillet over medium high heat melt the butter. Brown the slices of baguette in the butter (You can also place the slices of baguette under a heated broiler for a healthier option but in real French Onion Soup you are supposed to cook them in butter so that the bread isn't as absorbent when it is placed in the soup).

When you are about ready to serve the soup ladle some onions and broth into 6 oven safe bowls. Top with a baguette slice and lots of cheese. Place the bowls onto a cookie sheet and place into the 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted.

We really liked this soup. It actually tasted better the more we ate and I'll admit that with my first bite I was a little nervous about the sweetness and the strong taste of sherry. I would be interested in trying the soup again with cognac instead of sherry since I think I have a predisposition to not like sherry since trying a sip straight (to see what it really tasted like). I really enjoyed the cheddar cheese (since I am not a fan of Swiss-- even fancy gruyere).