Ingredients
¼ lb butter (one stick)
5 lbs Palmetto Sweet White Onions
3 Gallons Beef Stock
2 Tbs tomato paste
Salt & Pepper to Taste
1 750 ml bottle of wine, your choice
Croutons:
¼ lb stale bread
1 Tsp Saffron
1/8 c Olive oil
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Yield: Approximately One Gallon
Directions
- Mise en Place
- Fine Julienne onions
- In a 2 gallon stock pot- saute onions with butter.
- With a wooden spoon, Stir onions while sauteing. Allowing onions to sweat in between stirring.
- As onions caramelize, use spoon to scrape natural sugars off the pan and incorporate into the onions. Onions will begin to brown with the natural sugars.
- After properly browning onions, deglaze with 1/3 of the wine.
- Reduce thoroughly.
- After complete reduction allow onions to saute and caramelize with the sugars from the wine.
- Add tomato paste and continue browning
- Deglaze with 1/3 of the remaining wine and 2 pints beef stock
- Reduce to 1/3 volume
- Add ½ remaining wine and 1 gallon beef stock
- Reduce to 1/3 volume
- Add remaining beef stock and wine. Simmer and reduce as desired. Season to Taste.
For Croutons:
- Mise en place
- In small saute pan, dry saute saffron
- Add olive oil and continue to toast saffron. Both steps should take about 5 minutes
- Medium dice bread and toss with toasted oil. Season to taste
- Evenly place bread on a baking sheet and bake at 375º F until golden brown.
Serve French Onion Soup in heavy bowls or crock pots. Garnish top with croutons and sliced gruyere cheese. Bake for about 5 min at 400º F, or until cheese browns.
