Fancy Onion Soup

When you think of elegant, established steakhouses, those restaurants almost always serve a certain up-scale starter such as this one. Fancy Onion Soup will make you feel like you are enjoying a 5-star dining experience right in your own home. A savory, brandy-infused broth surrounds a combination of tender leeks, shallots, and onions. Each bowl is crowned with a parmesan crouton bread slice to top off this fine dining delight! Why go out? Grab a glass of your favorite wine and stay in with some homemade Fancy Onion Soup. Enjoy the finer things in life and be fancy!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons margarine or butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 bunch fresh leeks, roots, leaf ends, and tough outer leaves removed and discarded, leeks trimmed in half, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide slices, washed well in cold water
• 3 large onions, thinly sliced
• 4 large shallots, thinly sliced
• dried thyme, to taste
• 2 tablespoons brandy
• 3 (10.5-ounce) cans chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 4 cups water
• 4 ounces French bread, sliced
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, coarsely grated
• fresh thyme sprigs, optional, to taste, for garnish

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Directions

Step 1 –In an 8-quart sauce pot over medium-high heat, add the margarine and the olive oil until the margarine has melted.

Step 2 –Add the leeks, the onions, the shallots, and the dried thyme to the margarine mixture and cover the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they are tender and deep golden-brown, about 40-45 minutes.

Step 3 –Increase the heat to high. Add the brandy to the onion mixture and cook, while stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot, about 1 minute.

Step 4 –Add the chicken broth, the salt, the black pepper, and the water and bring to a boil.

Step 5 –Reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer the soup, about 20 minutes.

Step 6 –While the soup is simmering, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Step 7 –Line an 18×26-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step 8 –Add the bread slices to the prepared baking sheet and bake, about 3 minutes.

Step 9 –Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and turn the bread slices over.

Step 10 –Sprinkle the bread slices with the parmesan cheese and bake until they are toasted and the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes.

Step 11 –Serve the soup topped with the parmesan bread slices, garnished with the thyme sprigs.