Crock Pot Onion Soup with Oven-Crisped Cipollini and Swiss Toasts Recipe

ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, or more butter
1 1/2 pound yellow onions, thinly sliced
1/2 pound shallots, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
6 cups water
6 teaspoons vegetable bouillon
2 teaspoons porcini mushroom powder
1 beef bone
2 ounces cooked beef, shredded
4 tablespoons Madeira or cream sherry
4 bay leaves
6 sprigs fresh thyme, or more
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper, or to taste
1 carrot, scrubbed and left whole
1 orange peel, nickle-size
1 salt, to taste
8 slices sweet French bread

Onion Crisps (Optional)
6 ounces Cipolline onions, peeled and thinly sliced
1 dash black pepper
1 dash chili powder
1 dash gomasio
1 dash sesame seed
1 dash salt
chopped fresh parsley
1 pureed carrot, from soup stock

directions

To make the soup, heat the butter and oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onions and shallots and saute gently for 20-25 minutes, or until soft and caramelized. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and shallots, stir and cook for a few minutes longer.

Pour in the broth and wine. Add the bay leaves, thyme, cracked pepper, carrot and orange peel. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Add the beef and bone if using.

Transfer to a slow cooker and simmer on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours and 30 minutes, or until slightly thickened and caramel in color.

Remove the bay leaves, orange peel, and thyme sprigs and discard. Remove the carrot and mash until smooth, then set aside. Correct the seasoning of the soup as needed. Important: The crock pot must be monitored.

Preheat oven 400 degrees F. Arrange two racks in positions A and C.

To make the onion garnish, peel the cipollini onions and slice into thin onion rings. Add pinches of the other ingredients. Stir in just enough mashed carrot (about 1 tablespoon) to coat the onion and make the other ingredients stick.

Spread the onion mixture on a sprayed nonstick cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees F on the lower rack for 10 to 12 minutes, taking care not to burn or over-dry. Stir or flip the onions once or twice.

Meanwhile, to make the toasts, arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet and top with cheese. Place in the 400 degrees F on the higher rack and bake until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.

To serve, place a cheese toast in the bottom of each bowl. Ladle some of the onion soup on top. Place a second toast on top and spoon in more hot soup. Garnish with crispy onions and chopped parsley.

May be browned under a broiler for up to 5 minutes. Serve hot. Can be kept warm in 325 degrees F oven for up to 15 minutes.

nutrition data

Nutritional data has not been calculated yet.

reviews & comments

addalol REVIEW:
August 8, 2014

The recipe is kind of hard to follow and the directions are a little odd but if you read it closely (and read it a few times through before cooking) it works out. The final soup was delicious. More work and ingredients than I'd do for every day cooking but for a dinner party or special occasion it's very much worth the effort.

13 Ways To Use Frozen Spinach (and love it!)

It may look like a sad little package shoved in the back of your freezer, but frozen spinach actually has a lot of culinary uses (and some may surprise you).

11 Ways To Make Breakfast While You Sleep

Make your mornings a little less hectic with these overnight breakfast recipes. Prep the night before and enjoy a warm, comforting meal in the morning.