Apple French Onion Soup

You Can't go wrong with caramelized onions, bread & cheese.

This is the first time I have made French onion soup and I was very happy with how it turned out.  If you like onion soup you really need to try it. The hardest part is slicing the onions.  Make sure you rinse them in cold water before you start slicing or you will have tears running down your cheeks like I did.  I really love the addition of the apples in it.  This ended up being my own recipe as I had four recipes and I took bits from each one.

Apple French Onion Soup

3 tablespoons butter
6-8 (depending on size) yellow or Vidalia onions, thinly sliced
1 apple, julienned
2 springs fresh thyme, strip leaves off
1/2 cup white wine
4 cups beef broth
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
Baguette slices or other bread of you choice, should be thick and crusty
Fontina Cheese for topping

Use a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the onions and thyme and cook, stirring frequently. Continue cooking and stirring until the onions have wilted down and have begun to turn golden brown and start to caramelize, about 30 minutes.

Add the apple and cook for a few minutes until they soften.

Add the white wine to deglaze the pot and continue to cook until the alcohol has burned off and been absorbed by the onions, and the onions are medium brown in color, about 10 minutes or so.

Stir in the beef and chicken or vegetable broth (I used vegetable because that's what I had), and the bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.  If you need more broth you can add some, to your liking. Take out the bay leaf.  I don't think you will need any added salt but add the amount of pepper you want.

Place 6 broiler-safe bowls on a baking pan.  Ladle the soup into the bowls, and top each bowl with a slice or two of baguette or bread and a couple of slices Fontina cheese.  Broil until cheese is melted and slightly browned.  Don't walk away for this procedure.