French Onion Soup

SERVES 6 Ingredients • Sea salt and pepper to taste • Coconut oil or Rendered Beef Tallow, for greasing Dutch oven • 4 pounds (1814 g) yellow onions, halved and sliced ¼-inch thick • 3 cups (720 ml) water, plus extra as needed for cooking the onions • ½ cup dry sherry • 4 cups (960 ml) Chicken Broth or Stock • 2 cups (480 ml) Beef Broth or Stock • 6 sprigs fresh thyme, tied with kitchen twine • 1 bay leaf • 6 slices of White Sandwich Bread Preparation 1. Adjust oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat oven to 400° F (200°C). Grease inside of a Dutch oven with oil or fat, then stir in onions and ½ teaspoon sea salt. Cover, transfer pot to oven, and cook for one hour (onions will be moist and slightly reduced in volume). 2. Stir onions thoroughly, scraping bottom and sides of pot. Partially cover pot and continue to cook in oven until onions are a deep golden brown, one hour and 30 to 45 minutes longer, stirring onions and scraping bottom and sides of pot every 30 minutes. 3. Remove pot from oven and place over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring onions and scraping bottom and sides of pot often, until liquid evaporates and pot is coated with a dark crust, 20 to 28 minutes; reduce heat if onions brown too quickly. 4. Stir in ¼ cup water and scrape pot bottom to loosen crust. Cook until water evaporates and another dark crust has formed on pot bottom, 6 to 8 minutes. Repeat two or three more times, adding more water as necessary, until onions are very dark brown. 5. Stir in sherry and cook, stirring often, until evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining two cups water, Chicken Broth or Stock, Beef Broth or Stock, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes. Remove thyme and bay leaf. Season soup with sea salt and pepper to taste. 6. Meanwhile, arrange bread in single layer on baking sheet. Bake until edges are golden, about 10 minutes; set aside. 7. Fill individual crocks with soup. Top with toasted bread slices and serve immediately. Chef’s Note: If you want the traditional version of this soup, position oven rack six inches from the broiling element and turn on the broiler. Be sure to use broiler proof crocks for the soup. Add a slice of Coconut Milk Cheddar Cheese (see page 239) on top of the toasted bread, place individual crocks on a rimmed baking sheet and place in the oven. Broil until cheese is bubbly and slightly browned, one to two minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 2 minutes. Serve warm.

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French onion soup built the slow way — four pounds of yellow onions cooked until deep golden and dark as caramel. Sherry, chicken broth and beef broth turn them into the classic bowl, topped with toasted paleo bread. Six servings of pure patience, rewarded.

Pro Tips

• Take the oven route for the onions: covered for an hour at 400 degrees, then partially covered for another 1.5-2 hours, scraping the pot every 30 minutes. Hands-off caramelization at its best.
• When you move the pot to the stovetop, repeat the quarter-cup-water deglaze two or three times, scraping up the dark crust each time — that fond is the soup's entire flavor base.
• Cook the sherry until fully evaporated before the broths go in; raw sherry leaves the soup sharp.
• Tie the thyme sprigs with kitchen twine so the bundle lifts out cleanly with the bay leaf at the end.
• Toast the bread slices at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes until the edges are golden, and add them to the crocks only at serving time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why cook the onions in the oven?

The covered oven braise deepens four pounds of onions into proper caramel without standing over a pot. The stovetop finish then builds the dark crust that makes the soup taste like the classic.

Can I make the soup ahead?

Yes — the soup itself keeps and reheats beautifully. Toast the bread fresh and assemble the crocks at serving time so the toast stays crisp.

Can I make it with the traditional cheese topping?

The chef's note covers it: top the toasted bread with a slice of coconut milk cheddar in broiler-proof crocks and broil 1-2 minutes until bubbly and browned.

Is it very rich?

It's deeply savory rather than heavy — onions, broth and sherry do the work, with the bread and optional cheese finishing the bowl.

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