French onion soup

Two Christmases ago Shaun got this cookbook from his sister: Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook. We’ve made several recipes from this book and have been pretty pleased each time. For a while we’d talked about making a particular French onion soup recipe included, because it started with cooking the onions on high for nine to ten hours. Sold.

Annoyingly, on the next page of the cookbook it contradicts most of what is called for in this recipe. It says that yellow onions shouldn’t be your first choice and white wine and all beef broth are preferred. Alton Brown’s recipe uses Vidalias and half beef and half chicken, so there!

The Easiest French Onion Soup

from Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook

6 large yellow onions
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing
One 14-ounce can chicken broth
One 10.5-ounce can beef broth
2 tablespoons Marsala or red wine (optional)
Four to six 1-inch-thick slices of French bread
8 ounces Gruyère cheese, cut into thin slices

1. Peel and thinly slice the onions by hand or in a food processor. Put in the slow cooker and toss with the olive oil. Cover and cook for 9 to 10 hours on HIGH.

2. Add the broths and Marsala, if using; add no water or salt. Cover and continue to cook on HIGH until hot, 15 to 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°F. Put the bread slices on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil or leave plain. Bake until golden brown around the edges, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

4. Ladle the soup into individual ovenproof soup bowls and place on a baking sheet to prevent the bowls from tipping over. Top each bowl full of soup with a toasted bread slice and cover with a slice of the Gruyère. Adjust the oven rack to comfortably fit the bowls under the broiler with at least 4 inches to spare. Turn on the broiler and slide the soups under the flame; broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately.