Certain dishes bring such joy and comfort to people, no matter the occasion. French onion soup, especially on a cold winter's day, definitely falls into that category. The sweetness of the caramelized onions, savoriness of the beef broth, crunchiness of the toast, and richness of the cheese all work incredibly well together. This year we've recruited a long-time friend, Adrianna Guevara Adarme, to make us her version of the classic soup, and she graciously shared her recipe as well. Adrianna is a chef, food blogger, cookbook author, and Corgi mom, and she welcomed us into her Los Angeles home for a tutorial on how to make the perfect French onion soup. After our lesson, we had the chance to sit and eat at Adrianna's understated holiday table, which featured our oven-safe Casafina Pacifica bowls, woven plaid napkins, and neutral-hued ornaments. See the blogger's tutorial and get her entire recipe below.
Ingredients
1 head of garlic
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 yellow onions, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
6 cups beef broth
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
Bread of choice, toasted in olive oil
6 ounces of shredded Gruyere cheese
Minced chives, as garnish
Let's get cooking!
Slice the top off the head of garlic. Drizzle the cut side of garlic with olive oil. And sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stick in the oven to roast at 350 Fahrenheit for 45 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.
Meanwhile, add the olive oil and butter into a large pot over medium heat. When melted, add in the onions along with a teaspoon of salt. Stir up the onions and cover the pot for 15 minutes. That allows the onions to sweat out all of their moisture. Uncover and cook for an additional 20 to 30 minutes, stirring very regularly until the onions have caramelized. Add in the flour and mix until it dissolves and cooks a bit, about 1 minute. Pour in the dry white wine and Worcestershire and scrape the bottom of the pan to get all the onion bits up. Pour in the beef broth. Cover and bring to a gentle simmer and cook for about 15 minutes. It allows all the flavors to marry together. Pour in the sherry vinegar and add a few pinches of salt and pepper to taste.
Add your piece of toast to a baking sheet. Drizzle generously with some olive oil and transfer to a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven until toasted on each side, about 15 minutes. Spread the roasted garlic onto pieces of toast. Divide the soup amongst your oven-proof bowls and add the piece of toast, and top with a very generous handful of Gruyere cheese. Put the bowls under the broiler until melted and bubbling, about 5 minutes. Garnish with minced chives.