French onion soup + cheesy toast
Comforting. Unchallenging. Easy. Cheese. Thyme. Caramelised onion. This bowlfood broth is delicious, warming and goes back to basics in the kitchen.
It’s the season of sickness. Having a weak immune system and a vast preference for sunlight as opposed to icy winds, homemade soup is something that helps me out in (freezing) times of need.
The perfect bowlfood, French onion soup promises the best of comfort. The immune-boosting benefits of onion and garlic bring everything that is needed for those cold winter nights when I’d much rather be under a thick blanket than padding around on the cold kitchen tiles.
To caramelise the onions, you must make sure that you stand by your pan and stir every now and then and keep it over a low heat as burnt onion is the last thing to be desired in your soup. The addition of a little salt is important as it slows down the cooking of the onion and draws out the water within to prevent them from becoming brown.
Meanwhile, the cheesy toast compliments the soup as it is wonderful for dunking and – sprinkled with fresh thyme – smells and tastes heavenly in it’s companionship.
For the cheesy toasts, or croutons as referred to in the recipe, I used a mixture of grated parmesan and cheddar as it was what I had in the fridge at the time. However, there is something to be said for using the stipulated Gruyere, as it is wonderful for melting and goes well with the soup.
It is also worth noting that while you could just use dried thyme in your French onion soup, thyme is such a gorgeous herb (and definitely my favourite herb, in both aroma and taste) that I feel the dried version doesn’t do it justice here; so, if you please, use the fresh stuff.
Keep warm!
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