Ingredients
The following ingredients have 5 Servings
- About 1 cup fancy dried porcini mushrooms
- a small bag
- loosely packed
- 2 quarts beef bone broth or stock
- 1 cup white wine
- ¼ cup dry sherry
- 2 tablespoons demi-glace
- or one 1-ounce container
- optional but recommended
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 4 large or 6 medium onions
- peeled
- quartered and sliced
- Salt and black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground dried thyme or a small bundle of fresh thyme
- 1 large bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 baguette
- sliced on small bias about ¾ inch thick
- 4 tablespoons softened butter
- 2 large cloves garlic
- halved
- About 4 cups shredded Gruyere cheese
- 1 pound
- About 1 ½ cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- ¼ pound
Instruction
- For the stock, in a saucepot, combine the mushrooms and stock and simmer to soften mushrooms, 8-10 minutes, at low bubble
- Puree in a high power blender or with an immersion blender
- To serve, add wine, sherry, and, if using, demi-glace, and cook at medium boil, 6-7 minutes, until alcohol aroma cooks away
- For the onions, melt butter into olive oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven or soup pot
- Add onions and season with salt, black pepper, white pepper, thyme, bay and sugar, then soften 8-10 minutes, while stirring frequently
- Reduce heat to very low and cook about 1 hour, stirring occasionally
- For the croutons, lightly spread bread on both sides with softened butter
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and preheat broiler
- Line a baking sheet with foil
- Cook bread in skillet until well-toasted and golden on both sides
- Rub the croutons with garlic
- To serve, remove bay and thyme bundle, if applicable, from stock
- Fill soup bowls with onions and top with stock and 2 toasts
- Place on baking sheet, top toast with cheeses and broil to bubbly and brown
