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French Onion Soup

Name: French Onion Soup
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 90 min
Ingredients: 2700 g beef stock; 900 g 90/10 ground beef; 2700 g beef stock; 30 g BTB beef; 63g powdered gelatin (21g per packet); 2500 g onions (sliced); 115 g butter; 60 g water; salt; 1000 g water for deglazing; 2 g thyme; 5 g black pepper; 10 g flour; 150 g dry sherry; 25 g Worcestershire; 2500 g beef stock; 0.5 g MSG opt; 8 slices sourdough; 30 g oil/butter; 150 g Gruyère; 8 slices provolone

French onion soup is a labor of love that has one of the best pay-offs. It really is one of the best soups you can make. It is such a humble dish too, taking simple ingredients and making something beautiful. It really doesn't get any better than this.

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 1 30

Servings: servings

Ingredients

FULL STOCK:

2700 g beef stock
900 g 90/10 ground beef

QUICK STOCK:

2700 g beef stock
30 g BTB beef
63g powdered gelatin, 21g per packet

SOUP:

2500 g onions, sliced
115 g butter
60 g water
salt
1000 g water for deglazing
2 g thyme
5 g black pepper
10 g flour
150 g dry sherry
25 g Worcestershire
2500 g beef stock
0.5 g MSG opt

CHEESY TOAST:

8 slices sourdough
30 g oil/butter
150 g Gruyère
8 slices provolone

Metric – US Customary

Instructions

If making more flavorful beef stock, load beef and stock into pressure cooker, cook on high pressure 25 minutes, release pressure, strain off beef, reserve for soup
Peel onions, cut pol to pole in half, then cut in half again, and julliiene into thin 1.5″ strips
In large pot (at least 6 qts, preferably larger) Add in onions, stick of butter, strong pinch of salt, and large splash water, top with lid and steam onions down, stirring every 2 minutes
10 minutes later, take off lid and slowly caramelize the onions over medium to medium high heat for AT LEAST 45 minutes, but probably closer to 60. Deglaze every 5-8 minutes, keep a close eye. When deglazing add about ½ cup of water each time to make sure ALL of the brown bits are getting steamedoff and picked up. Keep the onions moving pretty frequently to avoid burning, if using electric use lower heat, those scorch faster than gas (I know from messing this up myself)
Once the onions are DEEPLY caramelized and cooked down until jammy and totally soft, add in thyme and black pepper then saute with onions for 2-3 minutes, then add in sherry, deglaze, scrape up brown bits nad cook until ALLL the way reduced, we need to get rid of any and all alcoholic flavors
Next add in 15g of AP flour, stir until lumpless and homogenous, cook for 3 seconds then add in stock and bring to a boil
Once boiling, cook for 10 minutes more for flavors to meld, and for onions to soften even more
Taste for salt, this would be the time to add in the pinch of MSG if you are comfortable using. Just like szechuan peppercorns, a little goes a very long way.
To serve toast bread in butter, top with grated gruyere, and 1 slice of provolone, broil util browned and melty, then slide into hot soup which has been seasoned proper;yl with salt (Be meticulous on tasting for salt, soups are made or broken in this step)