Hairy Bikers French Onion Soup

An hour at the stove is the price of Hairy Bikers french onion soup, and there is no way round it. A kilo of onions sliced 3mm thin caramelise in butter, then sherry, sherry vinegar and stock go in. Ultimate Comfort Food serves it four at about 570 calories.

They break with tradition on the croutons and say so. The usual way puts cheese-topped bread on the soup and grills the lot, while they grill the croutons first, then pile more cheese on, so you get browned and melting cheese in the same mouthful.

Watch the base of the pan rather than the clock. A brown layer builds up underneath as the onions cook, and scraping it back into them is where the colour and flavour come from. A splash of water lifts it whenever it looks close to catching.

Hairy Bikers French Onion Soup

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Simmering Cuisine:British French Courses:Soup

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 20 minutesCook time:2 hours Rest time: minutesTotal time:2 hours 20 minutesServings:4 servingsCalories:570 kcal Best Season:Winter

Description

Three separate hits of alcohol give this its depth: sherry to deglaze the pan, sherry vinegar to cut the sweetness, and brandy stirred in a teaspoon at a time at the end. Gruyère croutons are grilled apart from the bowl. This Hairy Bikers french onion soup serves four.

Ingredients

For the soup

• 75g butter
• 1kg onions, thinly sliced, about 3mm
• leaves from a large thyme sprig
• large pinch of demerara sugar, optional
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 150ml dry sherry or white wine
• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 1 bay leaf
• 850ml stock, beef, chicken or vegetable
• up to 1 tbsp brandy
• salt and black pepper

For the croutons

• 8 rounds of baguette
• 1 garlic clove, halved
• butter, for spreading
• 100g Gruyère cheese, grated

Instructions

1. Soften the onions: Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the onions and thyme leaves and stir to coat. Put the lid on and cook over a low heat for about 10 minutes, until softened.
2. Caramelise: Turn the heat up to medium and cook until the onions are caramelised. This takes at least an hour. The liquid evaporates first, then the onions slowly brown. Stir regularly, scraping the brown layer off the base, and add a splash of water if they get close to burning.
3. Taste and sweeten: Taste when you think they are caramelised enough, and add a pinch of demerara if they need more sweetness.
4. Add the flour: Stir in the flour and cook for a couple of minutes to lose the raw taste.
5. Deglaze: Pour in the sherry or white wine and bring to the boil, stirring constantly to lift the base of the pan. Add the sherry vinegar, bay leaf and stock, then season well.
6. Simmer: Bring back to the boil, turn the heat down, partially cover and simmer for about 45 minutes.
7. Add the brandy: Stir in the brandy a teaspoon at a time, tasting as you go, until you are happy. Check the seasoning again.
8. Make the croutons: Heat the grill. Toast the baguette slices, rub them with the cut garlic and spread with butter. Divide half the cheese between them and grill until it starts to brown, then pile the rest of the cheese on top.
9. Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and add the croutons.

Keywords:hairy bikers french onion soup, french onion soup hairy bikers, hairy bikers french onion soup recipe, french onion soup with gruyere croutons, caramelised onion soup

FAQs

How long does caramelising actually take?

At least an hour, and the book warns it may take longer than that. There is no shortcut, because the water has to drive off before any browning can start.

Two things go wrong. People push the heat up and burn the onions instead of browning them, or they stop at pale gold and wonder why the soup tastes thin. Slice them at 3mm as the recipe says, since thicker slices take longer still.

Why grill the croutons separately?

Because it gives you two textures rather than one. Grilling cheese-topped bread on the soup produces a single browned layer, while their method grills half the cheese first and adds the rest afterwards to melt in the bowl.

It also saves putting your bowls under a grill, which everyday crockery does not always survive. Their cauliflower cheese browns 100g of Cheddar or Gruyère the same way, straight under the heat.

What stock should I use?

The book leaves it open, listing beef, chicken or vegetable, and says they favour chicken or a mix of chicken and beef. Beef gives the darkest result.

Vegetable stock makes it vegetarian, though check the Gruyère, because traditional Gruyère is made with animal rennet. Emmental is the usual substitute and their chicken cordon bleu uses it for the same melting quality.

Do I need the sherry, vinegar and brandy?

Each does a different job, so dropping all three flattens the soup. The 150ml of sherry deglazes the pan, the tablespoon of sherry vinegar cuts the sweetness of a kilo of onions, and the brandy is aroma rather than flavour.

White wine replaces the sherry directly. If you skip the brandy, add an extra splash of vinegar instead of nothing, because the acidity is doing more work than the alcohol ever does.

Can I make it ahead?

Yes, and it improves. The soup keeps three days in the fridge and freezes for three months, since there is no dairy in the pot itself.

Make the croutons fresh, though. Grilled cheese on bread turns soft and leathery within hours, so grill them while the soup reheats. Their oxtail soup has the same rule, with the dumplings made on the day.