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French Onion Soup made with Slow Cooker Caramelized Onions

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    French Onion Soup made with Slow Cooker Caramelized Onions

    Kathryn’s Slow-Cooker Big-Batch Caramelized Onions

    Modified from America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook, pg. 307 (I have the book)

    Makes 4 cups of caramelized onions, one cup per pound of sliced onions

    Ingredients:

    6 lbs (purchased) organic yellow onions (not white or Vidalia), halved and sliced 1/4-inch thick. With waste and the inevitable rotten/moldy onion or two in the batch, I buy extra. You will want to end up with 4 lbs sliced onions.

    4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (divided use)

    2 tsp salt

    ¼ tsp black pepper, coarse ground

    1.5 tsp brown sugar (2023 Update: I now use half this amount of sugar.)

    Directions:

    1. Slice onions in food processor if the onions can be placed in the feed tube such that the slices are pole-to-pole. If sliced crosswise, the cooked onions will be stringy. Use a mandoline if the food processor option doesn’t work out. Be sure the slicer setting is for ¼ inch thick slices. On the Breville Food Processor, this is slicer setting #8.

    2. Microwave onions on High (100 percent power) with 1 tablespoon butter and 2 teaspoons salt in partially-covered bowl, stirring every 5 minutes, until softened, about 15 minutes.

    3. Drain onions, discarding liquid; transfer onions to slow-cooker.

    4. Stir sugar, remaining 3 tablespoons butter and 1/2 teaspoon pepper into slow-cooker set to High.

    5. Cover and cook until onions are deep golden brown, 8 to 12 hours on High.

    6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

    7. Onions can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to a week.

    8. Makes 4 cups. One cup per pound of sliced onions.

    Note: I double this recipe for French Onion Soup.

    Just so you know: The original ATK recipe for slow cooker caramelized onions called for 8 onions (no weight specified), 3TBL unsalted butter, 3 TBL brown sugar, and salt and pepper to yield 2 cups of caramelized onions.
    *************************************

    Kathryn’s French Onion Soup using Crock Pot Caramelized Onions
    (To fill a Staub 8 ½ quart Dutch Oven)

    Preparation time: 12-14 hours using Crock Pot for onion caramelization step
    Simmering time: 1 ½ hours
    Makes 16 -20 servings

    Ingredients:
    For the caramelized onions for the soup:

    12 lbs (purchased) organic yellow onions (not white or Vidalia), halved and sliced 1/4-inch thick. With waste and the inevitable rotten or moldy onion or two in the batch, I buy extra. You will want to end up with 8 lbs sliced onions. (8 lbs sliced fresh onions makes 8 cups caramelized onions. You will use all 8 cups of caramelized onions in the soup.)

    1 stick (8 TBL) unsalted butter

    4 tsp salt, divided

    3 tsp sugar, divided (2023 Update: I now use half this amount of sugar.)

    1 tsp coarse-ground black pepper, divided

    Two (2) bouquet garnis made from 1 bay leaf and 4 springs of fresh thyme each.

    For the soup:
    8 cups of the caramelized onions

    8 cups homemade beef broth (best store-bought is Pacific Beef Broth according to Cooks Illustrated)

    4 cups chicken broth (chicken broth is used because beef broth is hard to make and the store-bought varieties are inferior)
    • You can use 12 cups homemade beef broth instead of using chicken broth. Julia Child uses all beef broth. Ina Garten uses 8 cups beef + 4 cups veal broths.


    4 TBL flour

    1 cup dry sherry

    1 cup cognac or brandy (optional: sherry may be enough but I usually add it)

    2 cups dry white wine (optional: sherry may be enough but I usually add it)

    Salt and pepper to taste.



    Directions:
    CrockPot Onion Caramelization:
    1. Slice onions in food processor if the onions can be placed in the feed tube such that the slices are pole-to-pole. If sliced crosswise, the cooked onions will be stringy. Use a mandoline if the food processor option doesn’t work out. Be sure the slicer setting is for ¼ inch thick slices. On the Breville Food Processor, this is slicer setting #8.
    2. Make two bouquet garni by tying 1 bay leaf and 4 sprigs of fresh thyme together with cooking twine and add to the onions while they are caramelizing in the Crock Pot.
    3. In a large glass bowl, microwave 4 lbs (sliced ¼ inch thick) onions on high with 1 TBL butter and 2 tsp. salt in the bowl, stirring occasionally (every 5 minutes) until softened. Repeat with remaining 4 lbs sliced onions
    4. Drain onions; discard liquid; transfer to a 6 quart slow cooker.
    5. Add the two bouquet garni to the onions in the slow cooker.
    6. Stir 3 tsp sugar, remaining 6 TBL butter and 1 tsp pepper to the onions.
    7. Cover and cook on High until onions are deep golden brown, about 10 to 12 hours.
    8. Season with Salt and Pepper to taste
    9. Onions can be stored in fridge for up to 1 week.


    Soupmaking:
    1. Heat 1 qt of the beef broth and 1 qt of the chicken stock (or 2 qts. beef broth only) to boiling in a large saucepan.
    2. At the end of caramelization, add all 8 cups of the caramelized onions to the large Staub Dutch oven, including the 2 bouquet garni if added in the caramelization step. If not added then, add the bouquet garni.
    3. Add the cognac (optional) and the sherry to the onions and cook for 5 minutes, or until the onions are dry.
    4. Add the flour and cook on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, allowing the flour to slightly brown around the onions. (or make a roux with 4 TBL butter and the 4Tbl flour. This ensures there are no lumps.)
    5. Add the boiling stock, stirring constantly so that no lumps form from the flour/onion mixture.
    6. Add the remainder of the stock and the dry white wine (optional).
    7. Cover the Dutch oven and simmer for 1/1/2 to 2 hours.
    8. Taste for seasoning with salt and pepper.


    To serve:
    1. Select a 2 cup ovenproof bowl. Using the bowl as a cutter, invert it over a slice of bread and cut out a round of bread. Toast the bread on one side by placing it on a cookie sheet and placing the sheet under a broiler for a few minutes.
    2. Ladle a serving of soup into the bowl.
    3. Place the bread, toasted side down, on top of the soup.
    4. Add a slice of provolone, gruyere, or shredded mozzarella cheese on top of the bread.
    5. To prevent the mozzarella from becoming stringy when you spoon it out of the soup, use shredded mozzarella sprinkled with a bit of lemon juice.
    6. Place the bowl under the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese melts.


    Enjoy!

    Kathryn
    Last edited by fzxdoc; December 6, 2023, 10:23 PM.

    #2
    I like it!!

    Comment


      #3
      Thank you Kathryn! Your recipe is now on our list of what to cook when it turns really cold here on Monday,

      Comment


        #4
        Nice. I used way less alcohol. Mine is pretty good for a first try, but there is room for improvement.

        Comment


          #5
          when I make it I use about a pint of bourbon and evaporate it into the caramelized onions. Nevertheless, this recipe looks great.

          Comment


            #6
            That sounds great Kathryn.

            Comment


              #7
              I had terrible luck caramelizing in the CrockPot. Maybe nuking first is the answer?

              Comment


              • fzxdoc
                fzxdoc commented
                Editing a comment
                Yes, Willy , the America's Test Kitchen folks said it's not easy to do well without nuking first because with some onions there is so much moisture. My onions turned out a beautiful golden brown with very little liquid at the end of 12 hours.

                Kathryn

              #8
              Sounds delicious. Thanks for the recipe. I will definitely try this.

              Comment


                #9
                Thanks, Kathryn ... this looks wonderful!

                Mike

                Comment


                  #10
                  Thanks. I love french onion soup but I have never tried to make it. I will now.

                  Comment


                    #11
                    Thanks Kathryn. Not a fan of the soup but I will try the caramel onion part.

                    Comment


                      #12
                      It's a pretty foolproof way to make caramelized onions, ofelles . I vac seal and freeze them in smallish amounts--just enough for a burger feast for the two of us.

                      K.

                      Comment


                        #13
                        Thanks fzxdoc
                        Gonna give this a go..

                        Comment


                          #14
                          This is my go to for caramelizing onions. A lot faster than slow cooking... less effort than traditional, but about the same time...



                          The microwave tip looks genius, but I expect no less from ATK.

                          Comment


                          • pkadare
                            pkadare commented
                            Editing a comment
                            I'm seeing several different methods there. Which one do you use?

                          • Potkettleblack
                            Potkettleblack commented
                            Editing a comment
                            The one they recommend, the oven crock pot. Takes longer than they say, tho. But that might be due to the size of the crock or the onions or that recipes always understate the amount of time.

                          • rickgregory
                            rickgregory commented
                            Editing a comment
                            I use the dutch oven method with a modification - do it at 250 or so. takes longer but less risk of burning. You can do the sheet pan method at that temp too. The only reason they burn onions in the latter is its uncovered and too hot.

                          #15
                          "onions can be placed in the feed tube such that the slices are pole-to-pole"

                          for those of us who are occasionally onion illiterate.... this means the onions should be sliced... how?

                          Like in terms of onion rings or something else seemingly easy to visualize????

                          Comment


                          • MBMorgan
                            MBMorgan commented
                            Editing a comment
                            The "poles" of an onion are its root and its stem. If you slice "pole to pole" you are slicing parallel to a line drawn from root to stem. Pole-to-pole slices are less pungent than slices made parallel to the "equator" of the onion.

                          • rickgregory
                            rickgregory commented
                            Editing a comment
                            From end to end vs how we mostly slice onions. In other words, place them so the ends (root end and top end) are parallel to the ground.

                          • fzxdoc
                            fzxdoc commented
                            Editing a comment
                            Onions sliced pole to pole tend to have more uniform pieces so they all cook at the same rate. Also, since they're cut "with the grain", they have a bit more structural integrity and don't fall apart and melt into the soup as quickly as onions cut in slices parallel to their equator.

                            Kathryn

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