This article was written for Annabel & Grace, which is now part of Rest Less.
Ingredients: serves 4
50g butter
1 kg onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves
1 tbspn granulated sugar
2 tbspns Cognac or brandy
300 ml dry cider
1.2 litres Beef Stock
1 bouquet garni (1 sprig each of parsley, thyme & bay)
seas salt & freshly ground pepper
Garlic toasts:
4 tbspn olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 small baguette sliced
200g Gruyère cheese
How to prepare:
Preheat the oven to 180℃. To make the garlic toasts, mix the olive oil and garlic together and season well. Arrange the baguette slices on a baking tray and brush with the garlic oil. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes until crisp.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan or casserole over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and stir until starting to soften. Turn the heat to low, cover and cook gently for 25-30 minutes until really softened.
Take the lid off and add the sugar. Cook for a further 20 minutes, stirring until golden brown and extremely floppy-looking. This is the secret to a successful onion soup. Pour in the Cognac and cider and leave to bubble up for 1 minute. Add the stock and bouquet garni and stir to blend. Simmer for 45 minutes, then season to taste. Remove the bouquet garni.
Preheat the grill. Divide the soup between 4 ovenproof bowls and place them on a baking tray. Float 2-3 garlic toasts on top of each bowl and scatter the Gruyère over the toasts. Grill until the Gruyère is bubbling and golden. Remove the baking tray and lift off the hot bowls with an oven glove, warning everyone that they are hot!
This recipe comes from Soups by Tonia George.
