Lucas Hollweg’s French Onion Soup

Serves 4

  • 50g (1¾oz) butter
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1kg (2lb 4oz) brown onions, peeled and sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • leaves from 4 sprigs of thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 200ml (7fl oz) ruby port
  • 1.5 litres (2¾ pints) beef stock
  • salt and pepper
  • 12 thin slices of French bread
  • 100g (3½oz) Gruyère, grated
  • 50g (1¾oz) Parmesan, grated
  1. Heat the butter and oil in a large saucepan and add the onions, garlic, thyme and bay leaves. Stir over a medium heat for 5 minutes, or until the onions start to soften. Reduce the heat a little, cover the pan, and cook for another 35 minutes, or until the onions are properly soft and starting to brown. Give them an occasional stir to stop them burning.
  2. Remove the lid, turn up the heat and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are sticky and golden brown, again being careful not to let them burn.
  3. Pour in the port, scraping any sweetly caramelised bits from the bottom and sides of the pan. Stir over the heat for 1–2 minutes, or until the booze has pretty much evaporated, then add the stock, turn down the heat and simmer gently for about 20 minutes. Season to taste.
  4. Meanwhile, toast the bread and mix together the two cheeses. Heat the grill to medium. When the soup is done, ladle it into heatproof bowls and drop three slices of bread on top of each one. Scatter some of the cheese generously over the top and place under the grill for 1–2 minutes, or until it is bubbling and gold. Let it cool for a few minutes before you dive in – otherwise you risk straying into burnt tongue territory.

Credits

This recipe was produced with kind permission of Collins publishing.