Swiss Onion Soup
This typical peasant soup gains its deep flavor from simple means: slowly caramelizing onions over low heat with a little wine. Regional Swiss ingredients—Appenzeller cheese, Riesling wine— add a hearty contrast of flavors.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 12 medium shallots peeled and sliced
- ½ cup Riesling wine
- 6 cups beef stock
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 ½-inch-thick slices baguette
- 1 cup grated Appenzeller cheese
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and sauté, stirring frequently, until they are a deep golden brown, about 35 minutes.
- Add the wine; increase the heat to high and deglaze, stirring until the mixture is thickened and reduced. Add the beef stock and leaves of the thyme sprigs. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste
- Heat the broiler. Spoon the soup into four broiler-proof serving bowls, and top each with a slice of baguette and ¼ cup grated cheese. Place the bowls on a baking sheet. Broil, rotating the baking sheet often, until the cheese is browned in spots and bubbly, about 4 minutes.
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Caroline Wright
Caroline Wright is a food writer, a cook, and the author of Twenty-Dollar, Twenty-Minute Meals, a collection of fresh and simple recipes for the busy cook.
